scholarly journals A GROWTH MINDSET PILOT INTERVENTION FOR A GRADUATE-LEVEL BIOSTATISTICS COURSE

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-119
Author(s):  
BETTY S. LAI ◽  
MICHELLE S. LIVINGS ◽  
MICHELLE P. D’AMICO ◽  
MATTHEW J. HAYAT ◽  
JEREMIAH WILLIAMS
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Growth Mindset ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Academic Level ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Student Grades ◽  
Over Time

A growth mindset emphasizes the malleability of intelligence. The purpose of this pilot study was to implement and evaluate a growth mindset intervention for graduate students. Participants were twenty graduate students recruited from an introductory public health biostatistics class. Students were assessed three times during one semester. At each time point, students completed assessments of growth mindset, grit, social and emotional health, and attitudes toward statistics. Student grades were collected from the course instructor. Descriptive results indicate that growth mindset, grit, and social and emotional health fluctuated little over time. Mean scores for four attitudes toward statistics components improved over time. We found limited relationships between growth mindset and final grades. Growth mindset-based strategies may be more impactful at a persona, rather than academic, level. First published November 2018 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

CONCEPTUAL KNOWLEDGE OF CONFIDENCE INTERVALS IN PSYCHOLOGY UNDERGRADUATE AND GRADUATE STUDENTS

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-62
Author(s):  
NOELLE M. CROOKS ◽  
ANNA N. BARTEL ◽  
MARTHA W. ALIBALI
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Confidence Intervals ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Conceptual Knowledge ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Psychology Students ◽  
Sample Mean ◽  
P Values ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Graduate Psychology Students

In recent years, there have been calls for researchers to report and interpret confidence intervals (CIs) rather than relying solely on p-values. Such reforms, however, may be hindered by a general lack of understanding of CIs and how to interpret them. In this study, we assessed conceptual knowledge of CIs in undergraduate and graduate psychology students. CIs were difficult and prone to misconceptions for both groups. Connecting CIs to estimation and sample mean concepts was associated with greater conceptual knowledge of CIs. Connecting CIs to null hypothesis  significance testing, however, was not associated with conceptual knowledge of CIs. It may therefore be beneficial to focus on estimation and sample mean concepts in instruction about CIs. First published May 2019 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

scholarly journals STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD STATISTICS ACROSS THE DISCIPLINES: A MIXED-METHODS APPROACH

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-56
Author(s):  
JAMES D. GRIFFITH ◽  
LEA T. ADAMS ◽  
LUCY L. GU ◽  
CHRISTIAN L. HART ◽  
PENNEY NICHOLS-WHITEHEAD
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Qualitative Methodology ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Business Majors ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Students Attitudes

Students’ attitudes toward statistics were investigated using a mixed-methods approach including a discovery-oriented qualitative methodology among 684 undergraduate students across business, criminal justice, and psychology majors where at least one course in statistics was required. Students were asked about their attitudes toward statistics and the reasons for their attitudes. Five categories resulted for those with positive and negative attitudes and were separated on the basis of discipline. Approximately 63% of students indicated a positive attitude toward statistics. Business majors were most positive and were more likely to believe statistics would be used in their future career. Multiple methodological approaches have now provided data on the various domains of attitudes toward statistics and those implications are discussed. First published November 2012 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

AN EXPLORATION OF STUDENT ATTITUDES AND SATISFACTION IN A GAISE-INFLUENCED INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 487-510
Author(s):  
WARREN PAUL
Keyword(s):  
Student Attitudes ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Student Feedback ◽  
Introductory Statistics ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Statistics Course ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Students Attitudes

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

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF STATISTICS: AN EXPLORATION OF ATTITUDES, CONCEPTUALIZATIONS, AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE OF STATISTICS

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 6-25
Author(s):  
MARJORIE E. BOND ◽  
SUSAN N. PERKINS ◽  
CAROLINE RAMIREZ
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Content Knowledge ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Statistics Education Research ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Students Attitudes

Although statistics education research has focused on students’ learning and conceptual understanding of statistics, researchers have only recently begun investigating students’ perceptions of statistics. The term perception describes the overlap between cognitive and non-cognitive factors. In this mixed-methods study, undergraduate students provided their perceptions of statistics and completed the Survey of Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics-36 (SATS-36). The qualitative data suggest students had basic knowledge of what the word statistics meant, but with varying depths of understanding and conceptualization of statistics. Quantitative analysis also examined the relationship between students’ perceptions of statistics and attitudes toward statistics. We found no significant difference in mean pre- or post-SATS scores across conceptualization and content knowledge categories. The implications of these findings for education and research are discussed. First published November 2012 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

HOW ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENTS ACQUIRE STATISTICAL COMPUTING SKILLS

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 68-85
Author(s):  
ALLISON THEOBOLD ◽  
STACEY HANCOCK
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Environmental Science ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Graduate Degree ◽  
Graduate Degree Programs ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Improve Instruction ◽  
Apply Statistics

Modern environmental science research increasingly requires computational ability to apply statistics to environmental science problems, but graduate students in these scientific fields typically lack these integral skills. Many scientific graduate degree programs expect students toacquire these computational skills in an applied statistics course. Agap remains, however, between the computational skills required for the implementation of statistics in scientific research and those taught in statistics courses. This qualitative study examines how five environmental science graduate students at one institution experience the phenomenon of acquiring the computational skills necessary to implement statistics in their research and the factors that foster or inhibit learning. In-depth interviews revealed three themes in these students’ paths towards computational knowledge acquisition: use of peer support, seeking out a singular “consultant,” and learning through independent research experiences. These themes provide rich descriptions of graduate student experiences and strategies used while developing computational skillsto apply statistics in their own research, thus informing how to improve instruction, both in and out of the formal classroom. First published November 2019 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

MEASURING STATISTICS ATTITUDES: STRUCTURE OF THE SURVEY OF ATTITUDES TOWARD STATISTICS (SATS-36)

2011 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-51
Author(s):  
STIJN VANHOOF ◽  
SOFIE KUPPENS ◽  
ANA ELISA CASTRO SOTOS ◽  
LIEVEN VERSCHAFFEL ◽  
PATRICK ONGHENA
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Individual Item ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Item Functioning ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Students Attitudes

Although a number of instruments for assessing attitudes toward statistics have been developed, several questions with regard to the structure and item functioning remain unresolved. In this study, the structure of the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS-36), a widely used questionnaire to measure six aspects of students’ attitudes toward statistics, is investigated. This study addresses the previously unexplored issue of individual item functioning. Based on confirmatory factor analysis using individual items, the results suggest that the SATS-36 can be improved by removing some poorly functioning items and that depending on the goals of a specific study either six subscales could be used or three of them (Affect, Cognitive Competence, and Difficulty) can be combined into one subscale without losing much information. First published May 2011 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

scholarly journals SURVEYS ASSESSING STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD STATISTICS: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF VALIDITY AND RELIABILITY

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-123
Author(s):  
MEAGHAN M. NOLAN ◽  
TANYA BERAN ◽  
KENT G. HECKER
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Education Research ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Attitude Scale ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Students Attitudes

Students with positive attitudes toward statistics are likely to show strong academic performance in statistics courses. Multiple surveys measuring students’ attitudes toward statistics exist; however, a comparison of the validity and reliability of interpretations based on their scores is needed. A systematic review of relevant electronic databases yielded 532 citations, 78 of which were reviewed, and 35 included in a final analysis. Fifteen instruments were identified; however, evidence of validity and reliability has only accumulated for the Statistics Attitude Scale, Attitudes Toward Statistics Scale, and Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (two versions). In conclusion, a number of surveys exist, but there is a paucity of peer-reviewed validity and reliability evidence. First published November 2012 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

scholarly journals THE IMPORTANCE OF ATTITUDES IN STATISTICS EDUCATION

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 57-71
Author(s):  
CAROLINE RAMIREZ ◽  
CANDACE SCHAU ◽  
ESMA EMMİOĞLU
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Value Theory ◽  
Expectancy Value Theory ◽  
Expectancy Value ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Statistics Course ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Course Outcomes

People forget what they do not use. But attitudes “stick.” Our article emphasizes the importance of students’ attitudes toward statistics. We examine 15 surveys that purport to assess these attitudes and then describe the Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics, a commonly used attitude survey. We present our conceptual model of Students’ Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS-M), which is congruent with Eccles and colleagues’ Expectancy-Value Theory (Eccles’ EVT), as well as others. The SATS-M includes three broad constructs that impact Statistics Course Outcomes: Student Characteristics, Previous Achievement-Related Experiences, and Statistics Attitudes. We briefly describe Eccles’ EVT and other theories that support our SATS-M. We relate findings from research using the SATS to our model and end with implications for statistics education. First published November 2012 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

scholarly journals STATISTICS ANXIETY AND WORRY: THE ROLES OF WORRY BELIEFS, NEGATIVE PROBLEM ORIENTATION, AND COGNITIVE AVOIDANCE

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-75
Author(s):  
AMANDA S. WILLIAMS
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Correlation Analysis ◽  
Canonical Correlation ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Cognitive Avoidance ◽  
Statistics Anxiety ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Negative Problem Orientation ◽  
Multivariate Relationship

Statistics anxiety is a common problem for graduate students. This study explores the multivariate relationship between a set of worry-related variables and six types of statistics anxiety. Canonical correlation analysis indicates a significant relationship between the two sets of variables. Findings suggest that students who are more intolerant of uncertainty, believe that worry is beneficial, possess a negative approach to problems, and utilize cognitive avoidance as a coping strategy are more likely to have higher levels of the six types of statistics anxiety. These results highlight the complexity of graduate students’ statistics anxiety. Suggestions for intervention are discussed. First published November 2015 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives

scholarly journals COGNITIVE AND NON-COGNITIVE FACTORS RELATED TO STUDENTS’ STATISTICS ACHIEVEMENT

2010 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-26
Author(s):  
FRANCESCA CHIESI ◽  
CATERINA PRIMI
Keyword(s):  
Education Research ◽  
Statistics Education ◽  
Cognitive Factors ◽  
Introductory Statistics ◽  
Cognitive Variables ◽  
Cognitive Variable ◽  
Research Journal ◽  
Statistics Course ◽  
Course Achievement ◽  
Attitudes Toward Statistics

The aim of this study was to investigate students’ achievement in introductory statistics courses taking into account the relationships between cognitive and non-cognitive factors. It was hypothesised that achievement was related to background in mathematics (a cognitive variable), as well as to attitudes toward statistics and anxiety (non-cognitive variables). Students were presented with measures assessing their attitudes, mathematical competence, and anxiety toward courses and examinations at the beginning and at the end of their statistics course. Achievement was assessed by tasks assigned during the course, as well as by students’ final grades and the number of exam failures. The results reveal the reationships between cognitive and non-cognitive factors, their changes during the course, and how both interact in predicting achievement. First published May 2010 at Statistics Education Research Journal: Archives

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