Statistics Graduate Teaching Assistants: What Research Suggests About Their Training and Development as Teachers

• Activity Number: 40
• Type: Contributed
• Date/Time: Sunday, August 9, 2015 : 2:00 PM to 3:50 PM
• Sponsor: Section on Statistical Education
• Author(s): Nicola Justice*
• Companies: University of Minnesota
• Keywords: statistics education ; graduate teaching assistants ; teacher development

Abstract

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) teach approximately 25% of introductory statistics courses offered by Ph.D.-granting statistics departments in the United States (Blair, Kirkman, & Maxwell, 2010). A survey by Parker, et al. (2014) found that oftentimes introductory statistics courses taught by GTAs are not in alignment with the GAISE recommendations (American Statistical Association, 2005), and that many GTAs have not benefitted from professional development related to teaching. This paper reviews research literature and scholarship from a variety of disciplines to examine development opportunities that can influence GTAs' beliefs and teaching practices. Recommendations are offered for programs designed to develop statistics GTAs as teachers.