UNDERSTANDING STUDENTS’
EXPERIENCES OF STATISTICS
IN A SERVICE COURSE
SUE GORDON
Mathematics
Learning Centre, The University of Sydney
sueg@mail.usyd.edu.au
SUMMARY
In this paper we explore issues surrounding university students’
experiences of statistics drawing on data related to learning statistics as a
compulsory component of psychology. Over 250 students completed a written
survey which included questions on their attitudes to learning statistics and
their conceptions of statistics. Results indicated that most students were
studying statistics unwillingly. A minority of students acknowledged that
statistics was necessary for psychology, but statistics was seen by many as
boring or difficult. Students’ conceptions of
statistics were analysed from a perspective developed from phenomenography
(Marton & Booth, 1997). The aim of phenomenographic
research is to describe the qualitative variation in the ways people
experience or conceptualise a phenomenon — in this case students’
interpretations of the topic statistics. The conceptions fell into five
categories of description including: statistics as
decontextualised processes and algorithms, statistics as a tool for
professional life and statistics as a way to self-development and
enhanced perspectives on our world. Excerpts from interviews with selected
students indicate the diversity of experiences in learning statistics. The
perceptions of two teachers flesh out the learning and teaching environment. The findings raise challenges for supporting the
learning of “occasional users” (Nicholls, 2001) of statistics in higher
education.
Keywords: Statistics education research;
Service course; Affect, Conceptions; Phenomenography; Activity theory
__________________________
Statistics Education Research Journal,
3(1), 40-59, http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/serj
Ó International Association for Statistical Education (IASE/ISI), May, 2004
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SUE
GORDON
Mathematics
Learning Centre
Carslaw
Building, F07
The University of Sydney
NSW
2006, Australia