JSM Preliminary Online Program
This is the preliminary program for the 2008 Joint Statistical Meetings in Denver, Colorado.

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Activity Number: 228
Type: Contributed
Date/Time: Tuesday, August 5, 2008 : 8:30 AM to 10:20 AM
Sponsor: Section on Teaching Statistics in the Health Sciences
Abstract - #300991
Title: Statistical Competence or Statistical Literacy: What Should We Teach Health Professionals?
Author(s): Janet Tooze*+
Companies: Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Address: Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC, 27106,
Keywords: Education ; Teaching ; Health Sciences
Abstract:

Many statistics courses for health professionals focus on teaching statistical competence (i.e., teaching how to conduct basic statistical tests, such as contingency table methods, t-tests, regression, and ANOVA). In the liberal arts, there has a call for teaching students statistical literacy (i.e., teaching general statistical thinking and reasoning as opposed to how to use specific data analytic tools). This paper will discuss the similarities and differences of the needs of health professionals (primarily MDs) compared to students receiving a liberal arts education, and frame the concepts of statistical competence and statistical literacy for this audience. Results from a survey of the statistical competence and statistical literacy of current and former masters' students in a clinical research training program will be presented.

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Revised September, 2008