{"id":1993,"date":"2014-08-04T15:45:54","date_gmt":"2014-08-04T15:45:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/copyright.lboro.ac.uk\/teachingandlearning\/?p=1993"},"modified":"2014-08-04T15:45:54","modified_gmt":"2014-08-04T15:45:54","slug":"using-graphical-methods-to-help-convey-statistical-messages-to-less-numerically-literate-audiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/2014\/08\/04\/using-graphical-methods-to-help-convey-statistical-messages-to-less-numerically-literate-audiences\/","title":{"rendered":"Using graphical methods to help convey statistical messages to less numerically literate audiences"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ELiSS\"<\/a>Appearing in\u00a0Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences<\/em> (ELiSS), a practice paper entitled “‘A\u00a0Picture\u00a0Is Worth 10,000 Words’: A Module to Test the ‘Visualization Hypothesis’ in Quantitative Methods Teaching”\u00a0has just been published by Paola Signoretta, Marty Chamberlain <\/a>and John Hillier\u00a0<\/a>(School of Social, Political and\u00a0Geographical Sciences,\u00a0Loughborough University).<\/p>\n

The abstract reads: “Inadequate quantitative methods (QM) training provision for undergraduate social science students in the United Kingdom is a well-known problem. This paper reports on the design, implementation and assessment of an induction module created to test the hypothesis that visualization helps students learn key statistical concepts. The induction module is a twelve-week compulsory unit taught to first year social science students at a UK university, which they complete prior to a more traditional statistical, workshop-based QM module. A component of the induction module focuses on the use of visualization through Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to teach the process of hypothesis generation to students while they also are introduced to the basics of QM research design and univariate and bivariate forms of data analysis. Self-reflexive evaluation indicates that visualization could assist students with more advanced QM statistical skills.”<\/p>\n

This ELiSS paper considers the use of\u00a0graphical methods\u00a0\u2013 in this case GIS\u00a0\u2013\u00a0to communicate statistical messages to those students who might sometimes\u00a0be thought of as less numerically literate or who might need\u00a0a little\u00a0persuading that they can indeed\u00a0utilise QM. Aimed at lessening\u00a0any anxiety they might have\u00a0towards QM, and aided by step-by-step instructions and readily available members of staff, the students at the heart of this case study were guided through a process\u00a0that ultimately is aimed at developing ever more statistically numerate and critically informed\u00a0social science graduates.\u00a0\u00a0By investing in these student skills\u00a0early in their transition to university, this approach\u00a0also offers tuition in small groups,\u00a0an opportunity to develop good working relations with staff members,\u00a0and the chance for students to develop peer networks;\u00a0indeed, even if\u00a0this approach may initially appear to be resource heavy,\u00a0another benefit\u00a0is to support the development of more independent students, as well as\u00a0groups of\u00a0students, operating effectively in our academic communities.<\/p>\n

This is\u00a0the seventh in our series of\u00a0posts regarding publications on pedagogical issues by Loughborough University staff;\u00a0in order to promote the sharing of such research, T&L Blog subscribers are welcome to direct us to similar outputs emanating from across campus. Further details regarding this\u00a0publication\u00a0are available online<\/span><\/a>; the full citation reads: Paola Signoretta<\/span>, John Martyn Chamberlain<\/span>,\u00a0& John Hillier, “‘<\/span>A Picture Is Worth 10,000 Words’: A Module to Test the ‘Visualization Hypothesis’ in Quantitative Methods Teaching”, pp.90-104, in\u00a0Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences<\/i>, Volume 6 Number 2 2014. DOI: 10.11120\/elss.2014.00029<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Appearing in\u00a0Enhancing Learning in the Social Sciences (ELiSS), a practice paper entitled “‘A\u00a0Picture\u00a0Is Worth 10,000 Words’: A Module to Test the ‘Visualization Hypothesis’ in Quantitative Methods Teaching”\u00a0has just been published by Paola Signoretta, Marty Chamberlain and John Hillier\u00a0(School of Social, Political and\u00a0Geographical Sciences,\u00a0Loughborough University). The abstract reads: “Inadequate quantitative methods (QM) training provision for undergraduateRead more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pedagogic-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.lboro.ac.uk\/teaching-learning\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}