Contributed Paper C109

An Investigation of The Effective Statistics Learning Approach for Students with Social Science Background

Presenter

Abstract

The online and flipped methods in statistics education are growing in popularity relative to traditional lecture classes, yet research as to which methods are most effective has not yet provided clear answers. In addition, research implications on factors leading to student learning preferences are rarely discussed. This study seeks to fill this gap by incorporating the qualitative approach in these areas by means of a focus on social sciences adult learners. Results indicate that the online learning style is inappropriate for an introductory statistics course for this target population. Major factors that contribute to in-class preferences, noted by student response, include a barrier to an online learning style, enablers to an in-class learning style, and the fact that statistics as a math natured subject.