Reflection on Training, Experience, and Introductory Statistics: A Mini-Survey of Tertiary Level Statistics Instructors

TL;DR

This study surveys tertiary statistics instructors to identify which courses most influence their understanding, revealing a preference for application and research courses and highlighting the impact of pedagogical approaches on attitudes.

Contribution

It provides insights into instructors' backgrounds and emphasizes the importance of authentic activities and constructivist pedagogy in teaching statistics.

Findings

Majority of instructors credit application-based or research courses for understanding.

Many instructors have negative feelings about introductory courses.

Authentic activities and constructivist pedagogy are crucial for statistical literacy.

Abstract

Instructors of statistics who teach non-statistics majors possess varied academic backgrounds, and hence it is reasonable to expect variability in their content knowledge, and pedagogical approach. The aim of this study was to determine the specific course(s) that contributed mostly to instructors' understanding of statistics. Courses reported were described as advanced or graduate level, and classified as application-based, math, multivariate, probability, and research. The majority, 9 (56%) attributed their understanding of statistics to either an application-based or research course, and of those, 7 (44%) reported negative feelings about their introductory courses. These findings underscore the importance of authentic activities, and constructivist pedagogy toward facilitating statistical literacy. Research is needed to determine the effect of instructors' academic preparation on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices.