JSM 2004 - Toronto

Abstract #301880

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Activity Number: 442
Type: Contributed
Date/Time: Thursday, August 12, 2004 : 10:30 AM to 12:20 PM
Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
Abstract - #301880
Title: A Hierarchical System for Analyzing and Formulating Statistical Problems
Author(s): Norma F. Hubele*+ and George Runger and Sarah Brem
Companies: Arizona State University and Arizona State University and Arizona State University
Address: Dept. of Industrial Engineering, Tempe, AZ, 85287-5906,
Keywords: teaching statistics ; problem-solving ; statistical concepts
Abstract:

The central issue in teaching statistics is to impart to students the underlying principles of statistical reasoning, rather than a cookbook of rote procedures. Instructors expend considerable energy to formulate, illustrate, and motivate conceptual and practical elements. This research supplements others by focusing on ways to make the underlying problem structure salient to students through homework and classroom word problems. The structural approach to problem-solving helps students to understand why two problems that appear different because they do not share surface features, are really "the same thing." A hierarchical classification system useful for dissecting the complexity of problem statements is presented. By applying this system, instructors can deliberately instruct students how to distinguish between surface features of a particular application of statistical concepts and the underlying statistical concepts themselves. If a student can see the structure of the problem, then they can see how to extend their existing knowledge to novel problems and domains that incorporate those same structures. Examples are given from introductory engineering statistics class work.

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