Contributed Paper C175
In session C4A (Tuesday 10th, 11:00-12:30, Level 3 - Conference Room B)What is Statistics? Examining the Disciplinary Beliefs of Incoming Statistics TAs
Authors
Kelly Findley (Florida State University, United States)Jennifer Kaplan (University of Georgia, United States)
Presenter
Kelly Findley (United States)Abstract
Research has shown that teachers’ pedagogical decisions are deeply influenced by their own disciplinary conceptualizations and beliefs. As a dynamically evolving discipline, statistics evokes a wide range of perspectives, ranging from a rather applied, interdisciplinary approach to a deeply theoretical, mathematical understanding. We recognize that incoming statistics Teaching Assistants (TAs) enter their graduate programs with varied academic backgrounds and disciplinary experiences that likely influence their own approach to teaching statistics and uptake of department training. We investigate how statistics TAs’ previous experiences shape their incoming disciplinary and pedagogical beliefs for statistics. We share survey and interview findings from seven statistics TAs new to their graduate programs.