This paper is from Session 8C: Reasoning
which comes under Topic 8: New approaches to research in statistics education
Paper 8C3 (Thursday 12th, 16:00-17:30)
Students’ conceptual understanding of the relationship between study design and conclusions in an introductory statistics course
Presenter
- Elizabeth Fry (University of Minnesota, United States)
Abstract
Recommended learning goals for introductory statistics courses include understanding the role of random sampling in allowing for generalizations to a population, and the role of random assignment in enabling causal claims. However, these can be difficult topics for students to learn, sometimes resulting in confusion between the purposes of random sampling and random assignment. A two-and-a-half week unit on study design was created and implemented in an undergraduate introductory statistics course. A brief description of the unit is presented, along with a selection of results from assessments. Although results showed overall improvement, some difficulties remained, such as misconceptions related to sample size and some lingering confusion between random sampling and random assignment.