ICOTS8: Scientific Programme: Paper 7C2

This paper is from Session 7C: Statistics in psychology and the social sciences

Full topic list

which comes under Topic 7: Statistics education and the wider society

(Friday 16th, 11:00-12:30)

Human sciences student’s difficulties in parametric tests: a contribution to statistics education

Presenter

Noëlle Zendrera (Catholic Universty of l’Ouest, France)

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present part of the results of our research in statistical education. In particular, we have studied difficulties faced by undergraduate students in human sciences when solving a concrete and complete problem within a parametric hypothesis test. Two methods of collecting data have been used: the written proof and the individual clinical task interview. Results obtained by written proof among 90 students have been quantified in order to give a global vision of the seven variables studied. The written test has also facilitated the process permitting us to select 10 students for the task interviews. The results obtained in the interviews show that these students displayed original conceptions regarding many concepts implied in these kind of tests, different to certain misconceptions commonly encountered in the literature.