Experiences From an Introductory Statistics Course Based on an Applet-Based Technology

After the unexpected spread of the global pandemic, all the universities around the world have implemented online learning procedures. This necessity forced the mathematics and statistics instructors to use more technological means than ever. The method used in this chapter involves an intense use of applet-based education tools for a two-course sequence of introductory statistics. Forty-five applets were used during the courses. At the end of the semester for each course, a short questionnaire was given to the students to evaluate the method applied. The feedback from the students about the applet-based instruction was largely positive. Possible future works are suggested in the conclusion.

A DIAGNOSIS OF STATISTICAL SERVICE COURSES IN MEXICO

Statistical education is a very important area of research because it builds knowledge and promotes innovation in the courses of this discipline. Based on the advances in this area, changes in the content and approaches of the courses at all educational levels have been promoted in several countries. In this study, we examine programs of introductory statistics courses at the higher education level, seeking to characterize the state of statistical education for non-statisticians in Mexico. The extent to which the Statistical Learning Goals (MAEs) were addressed was explored. Included in the study were 410 statistics course programs from various Mexican institutions. A checklist was constructed to assess the extent to which MAEs were considered in the programs; that is, indicators of the degree of consideration of each of the goals were constructed. Exploratory and descriptive analyses were carried out to identify the extent the goals were met, followed by multiple correspondence analysis to identify associations with the program identification variables. The results showed that the MAEs were applied very little in Mexico, especially those that refer to the development of statistical thinking and culture; the exceptions were the goals of organizing data, building tables and graphs, as well as calculating descriptive statistics. For all this, it was concluded that there is much work to be done on this issue in Mexico. Abstract: Spanish La educación estadística es un área de investigación muy importante porque permite obtener conocimiento y promover la innovación en los cursos de esta disciplina. A partir de los avances en esta área, en varios países se han promovido cambios en los contenidos y enfoques de los cursos en todos los niveles educativos. En este estudio examinamos programas de cursos introductorios de estadística en el nivel superior, buscando caracterizar el estado que mantiene la educación estadística para no estadísticos en México. Se exploró la medida en la que se consideran las Metas de Aprendizaje de la Estadística (MAE) propuestas por Gal y Garfield (1997). Se recopilaron 410 programas de cursos de estadística de diversas instituciones mexicanas. Se construyó una lista de cotejo para evaluar qué tanto se consideran las MAE en el programa; es decir, se construyeron indicadores del grado de consideración de cada una de las metas. Se realizaron análisis exploratorios y descriptivos para identificar qué tanto se atiende cada una de las metas, seguidos de análisis de correspondencia múltiple para identificar asociaciones con las variables de identificación de los programas. Los resultados muestran que las MAE se han aplicado muy poco en México, sobre todo las que se refieren al desarrollo del pensamiento y la cultura estadística; la excepción es la meta que se refiere organizar los datos, construcción de tablas y gráficas, así como calcular estadísticas descriptivas. Por todo esto, se concluye que hay mucho trabajo por hacer en este tema en México.

USING ACTIVE LEARNING METHODOLOGIES IN AN INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE

In general, engineering students show little interest in the activities inherent in statistics subjects. This claim may be partly explained by the competition with other subjects in the first years of undergraduate courses, or by student perceived low attractiveness of the classes. In this context, several studies indicated that methodologies where the student is the protagonist of the learning process lead to greater engagement during the activities and better scores in the assessments. This work describes the use of active learning methodologies in an introductory probability and statistics course for Engineering classes at a Brazilian public institution. Two classes were monitored during one term: in the first one (control class) traditional lectures were used, in the second one (experimental class) three different active methodologies were applied, namely: Jigsaw, Peer Instruction and Think-Pair-Share. On the one hand, the results indicated slightly better performances in the experimental class, as well as an increase in attendance. On the other hand, dropout rates were similar in both classes. This study is part of a renewal proposal of the mathematics subjects, based on the use of active learning methodologies and the review of curricular content to meet current pedagogical demands. Abstract: Portuguese Em geral, os alunos de Engenharia demonstram pouco interesse nas atividades inerentes à disciplina de Estatística. Tal constatação pode ser em parte explicada pela concorrência com outras disciplinas do ciclo básico, ou ainda, pela pouca atratividade das aulas. Nesse contexto, diversos estudos apontam que metodologias onde o aluno é o protagonista do processo de aprendizagem acarretam maior engajamento durante as atividades e melhores escores nas avaliações. Este trabalho descreve o uso de metodologias de aprendizagem ativa em um curso introdutório de Probabilidade e Estatística para turmas de Engenharia, numa instituição pública brasileira. Duas turmas foram monitoradas ao longo de um semestre: na primeira, fez-se uso de aulas expositivas dialogadas (turma controle) e, na segunda, aulas com três metodologias ativas diferentes, a saber: Jigsaw, Peer Instruction e Think-Pair-Share (turma experimental). Os resultados indicam um desempenho acadêmico levemente melhor da turma experimental, assim como na frequência dessa turma. Por outro lado, a taxa de evasão manteve-se semelhante em ambas as turmas. Este estudo é parte de uma proposta de renovação para as disciplinas de cunho matemático da instituição, baseada no uso de metodologias de aprendizagem ativa e na revisão de conteúdos curriculares para atender às demandas pedagógicas atuais.

PAINT-BY-NUMBER OR PICASSO? A GROUNDED THEORY PHENOMENOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF STUDENTS’ CONCEPTIONS OF STATISTICS

Statistics students’ conceptions of the work of statisticians and the discipline of statistics may play an important role in the topics to which they attend and their interest in pursuing further study. To learn about students’ conceptions, we collected open-ended survey responses from 44 undergraduate students who had completed introductory statistics courses. We used a grounded theory phenomenographical qualitative approach to identify several themes in students’ conceptions. In addition to the test-and-procedure conception, we offer several other themes, such as acknowledgement of variation and the role of ethical integrity. We use a metaphor of painting styles to compare to experts’ conceptions of statistics. By identifying “seeds” of what may be developed into expert conceptions, these preliminary results set possible foundations to explore trajectories that may help shape students’ conceptions of statistics. First published June 2020 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

CORRELATES OF EXAM PERFORMANCE IN AN INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE: BASIC MATH SKILLS ALONG WITH SELF-REPORTED PSYCHOLOGICAL/BEHAVIORAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES

This study investigated whether basic mathematics skills are associated with undergraduate psychology statistics course performance while simultaneously considering self-reported psychological/behavioral and demographic variables. Participants (n = 460) completed a Math Assessment for College Students (MACS), which included questions ranging from calculating percentages to graphical interpretation. The researchers used a discriminant correspondence analysis to reveal differences in course performance evaluated as the average of three exam grades. For the variation in the average exam scores accounted for by our model, the MACS scores provided the largest contribution. Other variables associated with better exam grades included white ethnicity, non-transfer status, lower year in school, and low procrastination. The researchers discuss the implications for helping instructors identify areas of basic mathematical deficiency and strength.