The Effect of a Student-Designed Data Collection<br>Project on Attitudes Toward Statistics


Authors: 
Lisa J. Carnell
Volume: 
16(1)
Pages: 
online
Year: 
2008
Publisher: 
Journal of statistics education
URL: 
http://www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v16n1/carnell.pdf
Abstract: 

Students often enter an introductory statistics class with less than positive attitudes about the subject.<br>They tend to believe statistics is difficult and irrelevant to their lives. Observational evidence from<br>previous studies suggests including projects in a statistics course may enhance students' attitudes toward<br>statistics. This study examines the relationship between inclusion of a student-designed data collection<br>project in an introductory statistics course and 6 components comprising students' attitudes toward<br>statistics. The sample consisted of 42 college students enrolled in an introductory statistics course.<br>Comparisons of those who completed the student-designed data collection project (n = 24) and those who<br>did not complete the project (n = 18) suggest that inclusion of a project may not significantly impact<br>students' attitudes toward statistics. However, these findings must be viewed as only a preliminary step in<br>the study of the effect of projects on attitudes toward statistics.

The CAUSE Research Group is supported in part by a member initiative grant from the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education