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Abstract:
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Many researchers opine that writing is an effectual tool that may be employed to strengthen students' understanding in introductory statistics courses. Much of the research, supported by surveys and other subjective evaluative instruments, boasts that students achieve a heightened sense of comprehension in elementary statistics courses when they engage in some monitored form of writing. Few studies, however, measure objective, across-group student performance in introductory statistics courses vis-à-vis the presence or absence of an infused writing experience. This comparative investigation, involving seven classes and spanning over a five-semester period, explores the effect that short technical reports seem to have on students' grasp of statistical concepts in such courses. Study results imply that students who participate in a structured and guided technical writing experience in introductory statistics courses demonstrate a significantly greater level of content mastery when compared to students who do not. Particularly, mastery is gauged by student performance on objective, discipline-specific assessment that is administered face to face at the end of the semester.
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