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Statistical Question and Study Design Development in Middle School Students Using Big Data

Hedges, Sarai
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1172-8964
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571062091044447

Abstract Details

2019, PhD, University of Cincinnati, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Educational Studies.
Scarce research exists involving middle school students’ engagement in the statistical problem-solving process, particularly the beginning process steps: formulating a question and making a plan to collect data. Further, the increased availability of large-scale electronically accessible data sets is an untapped area of study. This interpretive study examined middle school students’ understanding of statistical concepts involved in making a plan to collect data to answer a statistical question within a social issue context using data available on the internet. Student artifacts, researcher notes, and audio and video recordings from nine groups of 20 seventh-grade students in two Discovery Program classes at a suburban middle school were used to answer the study research questions. Data were analyzed using a priori codes from previously developed frameworks and by using an inductive approach to find themes that emerged. The major findings were that the middle school students held preconceptions about the social issues they chose to study that biased their statistical questions and study design and that the greatest weakness in students’ development of statistical questions was primarily related to study design. This study also provided evidence that a teacher’s probing questions can increase students’ understanding of study design by increasing their sensitivity to sampling bias. Similar to previous studies, findings showed that students chose naive stratification to achieve representative samples, they generally lacked awareness of sampling bias, context mattered in terms of considerations in forming study design plans, and students found it challenging to determine when a statistical question required use of an experimental study design. Recommendations for future projects and research and implications of these findings for statistics education policy and for curricula outside of mathematics are discussed.
Marshella (Shelly) Harkness, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Brooke Buckley, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Holly Johnson, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Stephan Pelikan, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Education
statistics education; middle school; statistical question; study design; big data

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Hedges, S. (2019). Statistical Question and Study Design Development in Middle School Students Using Big Data [Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571062091044447

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Hedges, Sarai. Statistical Question and Study Design Development in Middle School Students Using Big Data. 2019. University of Cincinnati, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571062091044447.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Hedges, Sarai. "Statistical Question and Study Design Development in Middle School Students Using Big Data." Doctoral dissertation, University of Cincinnati, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1571062091044447

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin1571062091044447
283
© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.