Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) DOI: 10.7176/JEP Vol.10, No.9, 2019 43 Students' Academic Difficulties in Learning a Statistics and Probability Course: The Instructors' View Dr. Refat Abdelsamad Abouelgheat Kandeel Associate Professor Correspondence: Basic Science Department, Common First Year (CFY), King Saud University, Saudi Arabia Abstract The purpose of this study is to determine students' academic difficulties in learning a statistics and probability course. The study sample consisted of 24 instructors (male and female) in the Humanities track in the Department of Basic Sciences in the Common First Year (CFY) at King Saud University (KSU).The results showed that students in the Humanities track faced several academic difficulties in learning statistics and probability and these difficulties were concentrated in the lessons of permutation, combination, probability and random variables. The results indicated that all the difficulties that instructors surveyed occurred at a high or very high level and that no single difficulty was located at the medium or lower levels. The results indicated that, from the point of view of the instructors, there were no statistically significant differences in the level of students' academic difficulties in learning statistics and probability related to the type of instructor (male or female), the instructor's experience in the CFY (less than five years, over or equal to five years), and specialization (statistics, mathematics). Keywords: Students' Difficulties, Mathematics' Difficulties, Statistics and Probability. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/10-9-05 Publication date:March 31 st 2019 1. Introduction and Theoretical Framework 1.1 Introduce the Problem Mathematics is one of the most important subjects of our time. All other sciences are based on it. In addition, its abstract thinking transforms the world into symbols and symbolic relationships. Mathematics is the basis for the advancement of human thought, including philosophical thought. The progress of humankind and the scientific revolution of recent years on Earth and space from the application of mathematical relations and equations. This is consistent with Acharya (2017), who stressed that mathematics is one of the most important subjects in human life. Without mathematics, we can say that nothing is possible in the world. Today, mathematics is globally accepted, but locally useless. Mathematics has been accepted as an important component of formal education from the ancient period to the present day. In the ancient period, great shepherds developed mathematics. Mathematics is a body of knowledge in the area of science and technology. It is beautiful and interesting because of its symbols, language, terms, technology, etc. Mathematics represents a key feature of the human lifestyle. Throughout the world, different countries and regions (like China, America, Japan, and Arabia) have their own mathematical languages, terms, symbols, and counting systems. Mathematics has many branches, some of which serve specific fields in other sciences in particular, and in life in general. Such fields include statistics and probability. Mendoza (1999) emphasized that the statistical education will be more important in the 21st century. It has a close connection to other sciences and various life situations (Elmaneay, 2016). The statistics used in the field of mathematics, and in every field to discern the present situation and make correct decisions as a means of adapting to a developing and changing world (Koparan, 2015). The teaching of statistics is currently increasing substantially in many countries, due to its widely recognized place in the general education of citizens. Some countries have put much effort into designing curricula and specific materials, for example, those produced for the Schools Council Project on Statistical Education in England, and The Quantitative Literacy Project in the US. The increasing interest in teaching statistics is also shown by the existence of specific journals and regular international conferences, an ongoing series of roundtable conferences promoted by the ISI, and the formation in 1992 of an international association, IASE (International Association for Statistical Education). The establishment of Centers for Statistical Education in England, Italy, and the US also demonstrates this interest. The greater emphasis placed on statistics in the NCTM Standards in the US, the Mathematics National Curriculum in England and Wales, and the new Spanish curricular proposal all require an intensive preparation of teachers so that they can accomplish their educational goals. Many teachers must increase their knowledge of both the subject matter of statistics and appropriate ways to teach the subject (Batanero, Godino, Vallecillos, Green, & Holmes, 1994). For five years, a group of mathematics and statistics educators worked in collaboration to reflect on the teaching of statistics in school mathematics and on the training of those teachers responsible for this teaching, under the auspices of the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) and the International Association for Statistical Education (IASE). Results from this work are reflected first in the Proceedings of the Joint ICMI/IASE Study Conference held in Monterrey in 2008 (Batanero, Burrill, Reading, & Rossman, 2008),