scholarly journals EVALUATION OF THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE, AND STATISTICS SURVEY (CLASS)

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-164
Author(s):  
AMY E. WAGLER ◽  
LAWRENCE M. LESSER

The interaction between language and the learning of statistical concepts has been receiving increased attention. The Communication, Language, And Statistics Survey (CLASS) was developed in response to the need to focus on dynamics of language in light of the culturally and linguistically diverse environments of  introductory statistics classrooms. This manuscript presents a cross-cultural evaluation of the characteristics of the CLASS III (third generation of the  instrument) and provides a user-friendly cross-culturally valid version of the CLASS. Mixed methods are employed to investigate further characteristics of the CLASS III and provide a scale (CLASS IV) that may be utilized in diverse settings. These research results have implications for instructors, professional developers, and researchers to improve instruction with culturally and linguistically diverse  student populations. First published May 2018 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROBYN REABURN

This study aimed to gain knowledge of students’ beliefs and difficulties in understanding p-values, and to use this knowledge to develop improved teaching programs. This study took place over four consecutive teaching semesters of a one-semester tertiary statistics unit. The study was cyclical, in that the results of each semester were used to inform the instructional design for the following semester. Over the semesters, the following instructional techniques were introduced: computer simulation, the introduction of hypothetical probabilistic reasoning using a familiar context, and the use of alternative representations. The students were also encouraged to write about their work. As the interventions progressed, a higher proportion of students successfully defined and used p-values in Null Hypothesis Testing procedures. First published May 2014 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives


2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 1491-1521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Brigid Malsbary

The article presents findings from a multisited ethnography in two public high schools in Los Angeles and New York City. Schools were chosen for their hyper-diverse student populations. Students came from over 40 countries, speaking 20 languages in one school and 33 languages in another. Results of analysis found that despite contrasting missions, policies, organizational structures, curricular techniques, and teachers’ beliefs and attitudes across schools, youths’ practices were similar. Youth enacted explicit transcultural repertoires of practice: multiplicities of talking, thinking, and acting that engaged the resources and opportunities of ethnically and linguistically diverse classrooms. The article theorizes the importance of recognizing hyper-diversity as a distinct cultural context that shapes and situates youths’ practices and therefore their opportunities to learn.


2017 ◽  
Vol 119 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Sharon L. Nichols ◽  
Felicia Castro-Villarreal ◽  
Amanda Ramirez

Background This study adds to our understanding of how elementary school teachers in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts think about the implementation and impact of Response-to-Intervention practices. Purpose of Study The purpose of this study is to understand elementary school teachers’ beliefs about the challenges associated with RTI implementation with high need, high risk student populations. Research Design This was a semi-structured interview study with eight elementary school teachers. Findings/Results Interview data indicate that while teachers noted the potential of RTI systems and processes, most expressed dissatisfaction with implementation variability, inadequate training, slow matriculation through the tiers, and widely diverse student learning needs. Teachers also noted challenges associated with having to differentiate instruction and management with widely diverse learners while at the same time being pressured to meet accountability targets. Conclusions We conclude that although RTI has become more widely understood and recognized, there remain serious implementation challenges and confusion in contexts that serve culturally and linguistically diverse students. We recommend improved training at the university and preservice level to prepare teachers for work in tiered problem-solving frameworks and to help teachers better understand the academic, social, and affective needs of our increasingly diverse student population.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-510
Author(s):  
WARREN PAUL

We used the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics to (1) evaluate using pre-semester data the Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics Model (SATS-M), and (2) test the effect on attitudes of an introductory statistics course redesigned according to the Guidelines for Assessment and Instruction in Statistics Education (GAISE) by examining the change in attitudes over the semester and, using supplementary data from an annual Student Feedback Survey, testing for a change in overall satisfaction following implementation of the redesigned course. We took an exploratory rather than confirmatory approach in both parts of this study using Bayesian networks and structural equation modelling. These results were triangulated with analysis of focus group discussions and the annual Student Feedback Survey. First published November 2017 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-102
Author(s):  
NICOLA JUSTICE ◽  
SAMANTHA MORRIS ◽  
VERONIQUE HENRY ◽  
ELIZABETH BRONDOS FRY

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


TPACK ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 222-238
Author(s):  
Renee White-Clark ◽  
Shawn Robertson ◽  
Ashley Lovett

The transformation of today's classrooms' demographics and the demand for instructional technology has created a challenge for many teachers. While teachers must comply with Common Core Standards and infuse technology throughout the curriculum, they must also differentiate instruction for their diverse student populations. Therefore, the success of all students requires teachers to bridge the intercultural gap in the classrooms of ENL students. This imperative task encompasses the orchestration of teachers' pedagogical expertise of culturally responsive teaching, literacy instruction, technological engagement, and parental partnership. This chapter will discuss the enhancement of the educational opportunities of linguistically diverse students, while emphasizing the importance of these elements. The authors will disseminate the theoretical framework for understanding the integral aspects of the teachers' dilemma, and provide practical instructional ideas and resources for educators to feasibly implement to improve their use of technology in their respective classrooms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-120
Author(s):  
LAURA A. HILDRETH ◽  
JIM ROBISON-COX ◽  
JADE SCHMIDT

This study examines the transferability of results from previous studies of simulation-based curriculum in introductory statistics using data from 3,500 students enrolled in an introductory statistics course at Montana State University from fall 2013 through spring 2016. During this time, four different curricula, a traditional curriculum and three simulation-based curricula, were used. Student success rates and understanding of six key statistical concepts are compared among these curricula using mixed logistic regression. Results indicate that after controlling for salient covariates, differences in student success rates are minimal while student understanding under the simulation-based curricula are similar to or better than student understanding under the traditional curriculum suggesting simulation-based curricula may help increase student understanding of several key statistical concepts. First published May 2018 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-59
Author(s):  
AUÐBJÖRG BJÖRNSDÓTTIR ◽  
JOAN GARFIELD ◽  
MICHELLE EVERSON

This study explored the use of two different types of collaborative tests in an online introductory statistics course. A study was designed and carried out to investigate three research questions: (1) What is the difference in students’ learning between using consensus and non-consensus collaborative tests in the online environment?, (2) What is the effect of using consensus and non-consensus collaborative tests on students’ attitudes towards statistics?, and (3) How does using a required consensus vs. a non-consensus approach on collaborative tests affect group discussions? Qualitative and quantitative methods were used for data analysis. While no significant difference was found between groups using the two collaborative testing formats, there was a noticeable increase in students’ attitudes across both formats towards learning statistics. This supports prior research on the benefits of using collaborative tests in face-to-face courses. First published May 2015 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 419-440
Author(s):  
MATTHEW D. BECKMAN ◽  
ROBERT C. DELMAS ◽  
JOAN GARFIELD

Cognitive transfer is the ability to apply learned skills and knowledge to new applications and contexts. This investigation evaluates cognitive transfer outcomes for a tertiary-level introductory statistics course using the CATALST curriculum, which exclusively used simulation-based methods to develop foundations of statistical inference. A common assessment instrument administered at the end of each course measured learning outcomes for students. CATALST students showed evidence of both near and far transfer outcomes while scoring as high, or higher than, on the assessed learning objectives when compared with peers enrolled in similar courses that emphasized parametric inferential methods (e.g., the t-test). First published November 2017 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document