Igniting the Statistical Spark in the Social Sciences

Rhys Christopher Jones

Department of Statistics, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010.

Abstract: The Cardiff University Q-Step centre has become a national leader in developing and promoting context rich statistical courses (aimed at ages 16-18), across England and Wales for the past 8 years. These courses involve a new subject area called Social Analytics (SA) (the scientific investigation of social processes using statistical techniques and analysis). This article will focus on the development of the courses interdisciplinary curriculum, as well as a description of the pedagogical methods adopted, underpinned by a constructivist approach to learning. There will also be a brief overview of a quasi-experimental approach utilised to evaluate the impact of the course on year 12 and 13 attitudes and abilities in mathematics, statistics and critical thinking, compared to two control groups.

Pages: 397 – 403 | Full PDF Paper