1. Use, Mis-Use, and Missed Use of Quantitative Reasoning in Student Writing Nathan D. Grawe Carleton College With support from the US Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education, the National Science Foundation, and the WM Keck Foundation.

2. What is QR?

3. The habit of mind to consider the power and limitations of numerical evidence to address problems in public, professional, and personal life.

4. What is QR? Four facets of QR: 1) QR requires a basic skill set

5. What is QR? Four facets of QR: 1) QR requires a basic skill set 2) QR demands application in context

6. What is QR? Four facets of QR: 1) QR requires a basic skill set 2) QR demands application in context 3) QR involves communication

7. What is QR? Four facets of QR: 1) QR requires a basic skill set 2) QR demands application in context 3) QR involves communication “Deploying numbers skillfully is as important to communication as deploying verbs.” -Max Frankel, The New York Times Magazine

8. What is QR? Four facets of QR: 1) QR requires a basic skill set 2) QR demands application in context 3) QR involves communication “Numbers [are] the principal language of public argument.” -BBC Program More or Less

9. What is QR? Four facets of QR: 1) QR requires a basic skill set 2) QR demands application in context 3) QR involves communication 4) QR is a habit of mind “[QR] is not a discipline but a way of thinking….” -Lynn Steen Achieving Quantitative Literacy

10. What is QR? “…sophisticated reasoning with elementary mathematics more than elementary reasoning with sophisticated mathematics.” -Lynn Steen Achieving Quantitative Literacy

11. 10 Foundational Questions

20. Fact: Those who work with computers earn 15-20% more than others.

21. 10 Foundational Questions Other interesting returns: Calculator = 12.8% Telephone = 11.4% Pencil/Pen = 11.2% Work while sitting = 10.1%

22. 10 Foundational Questions

26. Carleton’s QuIRK Initiative Situate QR in the context of argument Situate QR in the context of argument Look for evidence of QR proficiency in student papers Look for evidence of QR proficiency in student papers

27. Carleton’s QuIRK Initiative Situate QR in the context of argument Situate QR in the context of argument Look for evidence of QR proficiency in student papers Look for evidence of QR proficiency in student papers So what are our students doing with QR? So what are our students doing with QR?

28. Our Population: The College Writing Portfolio Sophomore Writing Portfolio 3-5 papers plus reflective essay written in 2 of the 4 college divisions -observation-analysis-interpretation -documented sources -thesis-driven argument

29. Two Types of QR Use in Student Papers Central Use: Use of numbers to address a central question, issue, or theme

30. Two Types of QR Use in Student Papers Central Use: Use of numbers to address a central question, issue, or theme Peripheral Use: Use of numbers to provide useful detail, enrich descriptions, present background, or establish frames of reference

31. Two Types of QR Use in Student Papers The importance of the periphery: “Even for works that are not inherently quantitative, one or two numeric facts can help convey the importance or context of your topic.” -Jane Miller -Jane Miller The Chicago Guide to Writing About Numbers

32. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 1 Title: “Modeling the Implicit Learning of Language Acquisition” Thesis: Even if people aren’t aware of the systems undergirding our language, they implicitly learn the system through experience.

33. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 1 Discussion includes: Critical analysis of effect size Critical analysis of effect size Information on central tendency (mean and mode) Information on central tendency (mean and mode) Information on extreme scores Information on extreme scores

34. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 2 Title: Untitled Thesis: An analysis of the student’s own time allocation informs a particularly theoretical understanding of the sociological conception of “affluence.”

35. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 2 Where are the numbers?! Where is the richness of analysis that such a dataset affords?

36. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 3 Title: Untitled Thesis: A synthesis of 3 alternative views on poverty provides a more complete picture than any 1 perspective alone.

37. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 3 Student recognizes the utility of numerical claims—but doesn’t see the power of the actual numbers. “extremes of the very wealthy, the very poor…” “highly industrialized…” “patterns of distribution…that we have never seen”

38. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 4 Title: “Les Banlieues d’Islam” Thesis: French Muslims struggle to find an acceptable identity. A new “Euro-Islam” may address these complex political and social challenges.

39. Evidence from Student Writing Excerpt #: 4 Uses of data: Counts Counts Ratios Ratios Percentages Percentages

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