New Approaches to Gathering Data on Student Learning for Research in Statistics Education

Over the last fifteen years there has been a strong emphasis on active learning, use of real data in the classroom, and innovative uses of technology for helping students learn statistics. A recent survey in the United States (Garfield, 2001) documents that many tertiary teachers of statistics courses have made changes toward these recommendations. Now more than ever, more research is needed on the effects of these instructional methods and materials on student learning, retention, and motivation. This research need first requires the determination of effective research methodology in statistics education. In assessing students' conceptual understanding, reasoning abilities, and attitudes, and their development, alternative methods of gathering student data are needed that supplement comparative experiments and improve on traditional assessment items that focus on calculations, definition, and rote manipulations. This article will present and critique additional methods for obtaining research data on how students develop an understanding of statistics, including classroom-based research and videotaped student interviews/observations.