Undergraduate Statistics Students Research Articles

First‐year undergraduate students’ statistical problem‐solving skills

AbstractThis study investigated first‐year undergraduate statistics students’ statistical problem‐solving skills on the probability of the union of two events, conditional probability, binomial probability distribution, probabilities for x‐limits using the z‐distribution, x‐limit associated with a given probability for a normal distribution, estimating the y‐value using a regression equation, and hypothesis testing for a single population mean when a population standard deviation is unknown. The study was a descriptive case study and employed a mixed‐method research approach. Data were collected through content analysis of a statistics course examination script of 120 first‐year undergraduate students of statistics in an open distance‐learning university in South Africa. Polya's Model of Problem Solving was used as the framework of analysis. The study revealed that the students, in general, had poor statistical problem‐solving skills.

Facilitating Authentic Practice for Early Undergraduate Statistics Students

In current curricula, authentic statistical practice generally only occurs in capstone projects undertaken by advanced undergraduate and Master’s students. We argue that deferring practice is a mistake: undergraduate students should achieve experience via repeated practice from their first years onward, to achieve heightened levels of confidence and competence prior to graduation. However, statistical practice is not a “one size fits all” enterprise: for instance, elements of a capstone experience, such as extensive data preprocessing, may be out of place in earlier practice settings due to less-experienced students’ relative lack of coding skill. We describe a course we have implemented at Carnegie Mellon University, currently open to second-year students, that provides a circumscribed opportunity for statistical practice that limits coding breadth, uses fully curated data, treats statistical learning models as “gray boxes” to be understood qualitatively, and provides open-ended semester-long projects that students pursue outside of class. We show how pre- and post-course assessment tests and retrospective surveys indicate clear gains in the students’ knowledge of, and attitudes toward, statistical practice. Given its clear benefits, we feel that statistics and data science programs should offer a course like the one we describe to all undergraduate students pursuing statistics and data science degrees.

Determinants of the academic performance of undergraduate students in statistics bachelor’s degree program

PurposeThe present study aims to investigate the effects of a number of demographic and academic factors, such as gender, age, nationality (Emirati vs non-Emirati), high school major (arts vs science) and high school score, on the academic performance – measured by overall grade point average – of undergraduate students majoring in statistics at United Arab Emirates University.Design/methodology/approachThis study includes 188 undergraduate statistics students (142 female and 46 male) for the academic years 2012-2013 to 2015-2016. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the collected data.FindingsThe results indicate that gender, age and nationality have no significant impacts on the academic performance of undergraduate students in statistics bachelor’s degree program, while high school major and high school score do.Research limitations/implicationsThis study had several limitations. First, only students of one university were included in this study, which would have limited the generalizability of the results. Second, the study focused on the impact of a limited number of factors on academic performance of undergraduate statistics students. But, the study has a number of implications for students, educators and university policy-makers.Originality/valueThe present study is the first attempt to explore the factors that might affect the academic performance of undergraduate students in statistics bachelor’s degree program in an Arabic setting.

Learning styles preferences of statistics students

Purpose – Although there are many studies addressing the learning styles of business students as well as students of other disciplines, there are few studies which address the learning style preferences of statistics students. The purpose of this study is to explore the learning style preferences of statistics students at a United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). Furthermore, it investigates whether there are statistically significant differences along the four dimensions of learning styles due to students’ demographic and academic characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – Questionnaires were distributed to the whole population which included 79 undergraduate statistics students at the UAEU, of which 69 returned the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to present the main characteristics of respondents and the results of the study. Additionally, a chi-square test was used to find out if there were significant differences along the four dimensions of learning style preferences due to students’ demographic and academic characteristics. Findings – The results indicate that UAEU undergraduate statistics students have balanced preferences along the four dimensions of learning styles. Results also suggest that there are no statistically significant differences along the four dimensions of learning styles due to students’ demographic and academic characteristics, except in the active-reflective and sensing-intuitive dimensions with respect to high school type (private vs public). Research limitations/implications – There are a number of limitations associated with this study. First, the findings of the study are based on data from only one university. Second, the sample was small and limited to undergraduate statistics students and, therefore, it excluded graduate students who might have had different experiences. Third, the results are based on a self-reported questionnaire and this, in turn, might have affected the reliability of the results On the other hand, it has a number of implications for educators and students. Educators will benefit from the results of this study in the sense that they will adopt teaching styles and strategies that match learning styles of the majority of their students. Students themselves will benefit from knowing their own learning style. Originality/value – The present study is the first attempt to explore learning styles preference of undergraduate students not only in the UAE setting but also in the developing country setting.

Do Online Exams Facilitate Cheating? An Experiment Designed to Separate Possible Cheating from the Effect of the Online Test Taking Environment

Despite recent growth in distance education, there has been relatively little research on whether online examinations facilitate student cheating. The present paper utilizes an experimental design to assess the difference in student performance between students taking a traditional, proctored exam and those taking an online, unproctored exam. This difference in performance is examined in a manner which considers both the effect of the different physical test environments and the possible effect of a difference in the opportunity for students to cheat. This study, utilizing regression models that also account for relevant control variables, examines 44 undergraduate statistics students, finds evidence that the difference in the testing environment creates a disadvantage to students taking the online exam which somewhat offsets the advantage that the unproctored students gain from greater opportunities to cheat.

A Capstone Course for Undergraduate Statistics Majors

Many undergraduate statistics students receive limited exposure to real data and the challenges of real data analysis. To help improve our undergraduate program at the University of Georgia, we developed a Statistics Capstone Course. The course has three main threads: (1) teaching advanced/modern statistical methods to undergraduate statistics students; (2) giving these students an intensive, year-long data-analysis experience; and (3) providing the students with an opportunity to improve their written and oral communication skills. In this article, we describe the philosophy behind the Capstone Course, detail its implementation, and informally evaluate the success of our endeavor.

Using Spreadsheets to Enhance Learning in the Affective Domain for Undergraduate Statistics Students

The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) requires that undergraduate and graduate students exhibit proficiency in “statistical data analysis and management science as they support decision-making processes throughout an organization” [AACSB. 2008. Accreditation standards. Accessed October 20, 2008, http://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/standards.asp ]. However, motivating business students to enjoy learning statistics has been a major challenge for decades in many American colleges and universities. This paper reports on the use of spreadsheets to teach an introductory statistics course with an emphasis on business applications. The results suggest that using spreadsheets as a teaching tool can effectively produce learning in the affective domain, which refers to the attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and motivations a student brings to a particular subject. This finding not only encourages business statistics instructors to continue to use spreadsheets in their classes, it also encourages other instructors to consider doing so in the future.

Is a Basketball Free-Throw Sequence Nonrandom? A Group Exercise for Undergraduate Statistics Students

I describe a group exercise that I give to my undergraduate biostatistics class. The exercise involves analyzing a series of 200 consecutive basketball free-throw attempts to determine whether there is any evidence for sequential dependence in the probability of making a free-throw. The students are given the exercise before they have learned the appropriate statistical tests, so that they can come up with ideas on their own. Students spend a full class period working on the problem, with my guidance and hints. In the next class period, we discuss how each student group approached the problem. I then present several alternative ways to analyze the data, including a runs test and a contingency table analysis of transition frequencies.

Effects of Web-Based Instruction on Math Anxiety, the Sense of Mastery, and Global Self-Esteem: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Undergraduate Statistics Students

To explore the effects of web-based instruction (WBI) on math anxiety, the sense of mastery, and global self-esteem, we use quasi-experimental data from undergraduate statistics students in classes assigned to three study conditions, each with varied access to, and incentive for, the use of online technologies. Results suggest that when statistics course requirements included the use of WBI techniques, such as Blackboard's (Blackboard Inc. 2001) digital drop box and online student discussion board, class levels of math anxiety were reduced from the beginning (Time I) to the end (Time II) of the course instruction periods. In classes that required student participation in online discussion forums, self-esteem levels appear to have been enhanced. Perceived mastery levels, however, were not influenced significantly by use of the WBI tools we consider here. The findings indicate that the incorporation of WBI techniques into statistics courses may benefit college students; yet, the mechanisms by which WBI tools affect student outcomes require elucidation. We recommend that widespread implementation of WBI follow only from systematic evaluation of its efficacy across various educational settings, student populations, and social conditions.

A “Jigsaw Classroom” Technique for Undergraduate Statistics Courses

Undergraduate statistics students vary widely in performance, and many are passive learners. Worksheets (problem sets) help students to be more active and to learn by doing. Working individually, however, students may require too much time to complete worksheets in class, when the instructor is available to help. In the “jigsaw classroom” technique described, a worksheet is divided into 2 to 4 complementary steps that are distributed to different groups of students. Students with the same step complete it together and then collaborate with other classmates to finish the entire worksheet in class. Students reported that this jigsaw technique helped them understand a statistical procedure, used class time efficiently, and increased the variety of learning experiences available in this challenging course.

Affective Variables and Mathematics Education

to general feelings such as liking/disliking of mathematics, nor is it meant to exclude perceptions of the difficulty, usefulness, and appropriateness of mathematics as a school subject. There are several ways affective variables are related to mathematics learning. It is likely that a student who feels very positive about mathematics will achieve at a higher level than a student who has a negative attitude toward mathematics. It is also likely that a high achiever will enjoy mathematics more than a student who

Effects of reducing student anxiety in a statistics course

Abstract The undergraduate statistics course can be a difficult hurdle for many Psychology students, particularly those who are anxious about the course. Undergraduate statistics students were divided into high-anxious and low-anxious groups by means of a questionnaire. Half the high-anxious students received a do-it-yourself desensitization program used at home with a tape player. It included training in deep-muscle relaxation and working through a hierarchy of fear situations related to the statistics course. Initial anxiety dropped for both anxious groups, but more so for the treated students. Performance on the exams also showed significance or borderline significance for the treated subjects. Multi-variate analysis revealed associations between treatment, lowered end of year anxiety and an increase in statistics knowledge. In the overview, keeping in mind the small N's involved in this study (13 exp, 12 cont), we feel that this approach to statistics anxiety has promise, requiring minimal instructor ...