Online Program

SPSS, P-Values, Standard Deviations, Oh My! Teaching Concept-Based Statistics as a Prerequisite to Graduate-Level Nursing Research in a Distance-Based Advanced Practice Nursing Education Program (302806)

Keywords: teaching statistics

Most introductory statistics courses follow a traditional pattern of learning descriptive and inferential statistics in a math-based format of memorizing formulas and mastering "hand calculations." Little emphasis is placed on application to students' fields of study, with the result that many students do not retain the knowledge when it comes time for them to use it in their research course(s). Students at Frontier Nursing University complete a basic statistics course as part of their bridge year curriculum. The course is crafted so students actively apply statistics in a way that is meaningful to them. Further, since most students enter the course with some degree of trepidation stemming from some prior negative experience with mathematics, an emphasis is placed on avoiding the use of formulas and "hand calculations." Rather, concepts in both descriptive and inferential statistics are taught with a focus on direct application to nursing research. A computer-based statistical package, SPSS, is used for all analyses. This concept-based approach results in increased student satisfaction as well as a deeper level of learning for future application of the subject matter.