This paper is from Session 7E: Factors that affect statistical literacy

which comes under Topic 7: Statistical literacy in the wider society

Sustaining communication of the value of statistics in the humanities

Presenter

• Nicole Mee-Hyaang Jinn (Virginia Tech, United States)

Abstract

The value or utility of statistical inference has not been well-understood among researchers in the humanities. To clarify, the approaches and methodologies of the humanities are primarily interpretative. With appropriate emphasis on interpretation, I argue that a good starting point for effective statistics education in the humanities is in highlighting controversy that continues to exist, such as investigating when statistical inferences are valid, and how to interpret results from statistical methods. Specifically, I present one way of defining a genuine principle of evidence, as well as reasons why principles of evidence are far-reaching. The import of evidence as a concept is accepted in the humanities, and the humanities are similar to sciences in that both involve the analysis and interpretation of evidence.