This paper is from Session 3E: Students’ negative attitudes towards statistics: an arduous challenge
which comes under Topic 3: Statistics education at the post-secondary level
Paper 3E3 (Tuesday 10th, 16:00-17:30)
The views of undergraduate students about their introductory statistics course process
Presenter
- Zeynep Medine Özmen (Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey)
Co-author
- Adnan Baki (Karadeniz Technical University, Turkey)
Abstract
This paper aims to present undergraduate students’ views about statistics and its learning. During statistics courses students meet with exhaustive calculations and formulas. We expected them to hold various conceptions, ideas about the topics of statistics and to express their experiences during the course process. In this regard, fifty students studying at different undergraduate programs were interviewed. The interviews included students’ definitions of statistics, their expectations about the course, and evaluations of their learning outcomes. Findings revealed that students' definitions of statistics coincide with the related literature. Consistent with expectations, students mentioned positive-negative experiences during the course in the regard to their success and failure. They were also aware of the necessity of referring statistical methods rather than indicating personal thoughts or making simple estimations.