Development and Validation of a Teaching Practice Scale (TISS) for Instructors of Introductory Statistics at the College Level

TL;DR

This paper introduces and validates the Teaching of Introductory Statistics Scale (TISS), a reliable tool to measure instructors' pedagogical practices, distinguishing between constructivist and behaviorist approaches in college-level statistics teaching.

Contribution

The study develops and validates a new two-dimensional scale (TISS) for assessing college instructors' teaching practices in introductory statistics.

Findings

TISS reliably measures constructivist and behaviorist teaching practices.

Instructors from the USA and those with math and engineering degrees favor behaviorist methods.

The scale shows good criterion validity and acceptable reliability.

Abstract

This study examined the teaching practices of 227 college instructors of introductory statistics (from the health and behavioral sciences). Using primarily multidimensional scaling (MDS) techniques, a two-dimensional, 10-item teaching practice scale, TISS (Teaching of Introductory Statistics Scale), was developed and validated. The two dimensions (subscales) were characterized as constructivist, and behaviorist, and are orthogonal to each other. Criterion validity of this scale was established in relation to instructors' attitude toward teaching, and acceptable levels of reliability were obtained. A significantly higher level of behaviorist practice (less reform-oriented) was reported by instructors from the USA, and instructors with academic degrees in mathematics and engineering. This new scale (TISS) will allow us to empirically assess and describe the pedagogical approach (teaching practice) of instructors of introductory statistics. Further research is required in order to be conclusive about the structural and psychometric properties of this scale.