Literature Index

Displaying 2671 - 2680 of 3326

  • The computer spreadsheet: A versatile tool for the teaching of basic statistical concepts

    Author(s):
    Soon, T.W.
    Editors:
    Vere-Jones, D., Carlyle, S., & Dawkins, B. P.
    Year:
    1991
    Abstract:
    Many students find statistics difficult and unattractive. There is therefore an urgent need for teachers to consider new approaches and tools for teaching the subject. Many have advocated the use of microcomputers as teaching tool. When using microcomputers for teaching purposes, it is necessary to consider which software could be regarded as good teaching tools. A good teaching tool should, in my opinion, satisfy at least the following three criteria: (i) It should be reasonable priced, and readily available. (ii) It should be flexible thereby allowing teachers to introduce modifications in response to the special needs of their students. (iii) It should be able to demonstrate the basic concepts of the subject. The ease in which spreadsheets can be used to convey basic statistical concept is demonstrated in what follows.

  • The concept of chance in everyday teaching aspects of a social epistemology of mathematical knowledge

    Author(s):
    Steinbring, H.
    Year:
    1991
    Abstract:
    The paper analyzes the relationship between the epistemological nature of mathematical knowledge and its socially constituted meaning in classroom interaction.

  • The concept of distribution.

    Author(s):
    Wild, C.
    Editors:
    Gal, I., & Short, T.
    Year:
    2006
    Abstract:
    This paper is a personal exploration of where the ideas of "distribution" that we are trying to develop in students come from and are leading to, how they fit together, and where they are important and why. We need to have such considerations in the back of our minds when designing learning experiences. The notion of "distribution" as a lens through which statisticians look at the variation in data is developed. I explore the sources of variation in data, empirical versus theoretical distributions, the nature of statistical models, sampling distributions, the conditional nature of distributions used for modeling, and the underpinnings of inference.
    Location:
    http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/serj/SERJ5(2)_Wild.pdf

  • The concept of variation and misconceptions in cartesian graphing

    Author(s):
    Clement, J.
    Year:
    1989
    Abstract:
    In this paper I propose some basic elements of a model of knowledge structures used in comprehending and generating graphs, with emphasis on the concept of covariation and on the analogical character of graphical representation. I then use this competence model to attempt to organize and interpret some of the existing literature on misconceptions in graphing. Two types of common misconceptions, treating the graph as a picture, and slope-height confusions, will be discussed, as will the earliest recorded use of graphs in the work of Oresme in 1361. One of the motives for studying concepts used in graphing is that it may help us understand the nature of the more general concepts of variable and function and the role that analogue spatial models play in representation.

  • The conjunction fallacy: a misunderstanding about conjunction?

    Author(s):
    Katya Tentori, Nicolao Bonini and Daniel Osherson
    Year:
    2004
    Abstract:
    It is easy to construct pairs of sentences X, Y that lead many people to ascribe higher probability to<br>the conjunction X-and-Y than to the conjuncts X, Y. Whether an error is thereby committed depends<br>on reasoners' interpretation of the expressions "probability" and "and." We report two experiments<br>designed to clarify the normative status of typical responses to conjunction problems.
    Location:
    http://www.princeton.edu/~osherson/papers/katya14.pdf

  • The conjunction fallacy: A task specific phenomenon?

    Author(s):
    Morier, D. M., &amp; Borgida, E.
    Year:
    1984
    Abstract:
    The present investigation adopted a debiasing approach to the judgmental error known as the conjunction fallacy. Such an approach was used to determine the extent to which the conjunction fallacy reflects task specific misunderstanding of particular judgment problems. The results suggest that (a) subjects' misunderstanding of conjunction problems is indeed somewhat task specific, and (b) a debiasing approach can effectively lower but not eliminate the conjunctive error rate for problems that do not strongly implicate representativeness thinking. Educational strategies based on statistical and probabilistic knowledge are discussed as an approach to debiasing inferential errors like the conjunction fallacy.

  • The conjunction fallacy?

    Author(s):
    Wolford, G., Taylor, H. A., &amp; Beck, J. R.
    Year:
    1990
    Abstract:
    Tversky and Kahneman showed that when subjects are asked to rate the likelihood of several alternatives, including single and joint events, they often make a "conjunction fallacy." That is, they rate the conjunction of two events as being more likely than one of the constituent events. We argue that in some contexts, an alternative that contains the conjunction of two events can be more probable than an alternative that contains only one of the conjunction constituent events. We carried out four experiments in which we manipulated this context.

  • The Construction of Meanings for Trend in Active Graphing

    Author(s):
    Ainley, J., Nardi, E., Pratt, D.
    Year:
    2000
    Abstract:
    The development of increased and accessible computing power has been a major agent in the current emphasis placed upon the presentation of data in graphical form as a means of informing or persuading. However research in Science and Mathematics Education has shown that skills in the interpretation and production of graphs are relatively difficult for Secondary school pupils. Exploratory studies have suggested that the use of spreadsheets might have the potential to change fundamentally how childrne learn graphing skills. We describe research using a pedagogic strategy developed during this exploratory work, which we call Active Graphing, in which access to spreadsheets allows graphs to be used as analytic tools within practical experiements. Through a study of pairs of 8 and 9 year old pupils working on such tasks, we have been able to identify aspects of their interaction with the experiment itself, the data collected and the graphs, and so trace the emergence of meanings for trend.

  • The constructivist teaching experiment in mathematics education research

    Author(s):
    Thompson, P.
    Year:
    1979
    Abstract:
    This paper will focus on another aspect of the teaching experiment that has heretofore been alluded to in the literature, but never fully addressed; namely, the epistemological considerations one must make when contemplating the teaching experiment as a research methodology. While the following remarks may well apply to any subject matter area, they will be couched in terms of mathematics education, since this is the area of our own interest and specialty.

  • The context of teaching statistics: Statistics anxiety

    Author(s):
    Wilson, V. A.
    Year:
    2001
    Abstract:
    No discussion of the context of teaching statistics would be complete without acknowledgement of the anxiety that students bring to clss. According to Onwuegbuzie (in press) two-thirds to four-fifths of graduate students experience high levels of stress while enrolled in statistics courses. Some delay taking these courses until late in their academic programs (Onwuegbuzie, 1997a, 1997b); some drop ot completely (Richardson &amp; Suinn, 1972). Some just "labor through the course, making it a high anxiety arena for their classmates and instructors: (Wilson, 1999, P. 2).<br>As statistics instructors, there are at least four questions we need to examine:<br>(1) Should we acknowledge the existence of statistics anxiety or just ignore it?<br>(2) If we acknowledge it, should we attempt to reduce it?<br>(3) If we attempt to reduce it, what strategies might we employ?<br>(4) Should we differentiate instruction--content, proess, and product--in order to address teh comfort levels as well as the learning styles and peferences of our students?

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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