1. TEACHING STATISTICS TO NONSTATISTICIANS USING REAL DATA
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education
7 – 9 September 2017, Szeged
TEACHING STATISTICS TO NONSTATISTICIANS USING REAL DATA
Smaranda Cimpoeru
Lecturer Ph.D., Department of Statistics and Econometrics
Faculty of Cybernetics, Statistics and Economic Informatics
Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Romania

2. Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education - 2017
Context
New bachelor’s domain introduced in 2013: “Applied Modern Language” undergraduate program;
In the second year of study, a subject dealing with Introductory Statistics posed difficulties for students;
Main reason: students are mostly graduates of social sciences high school profiles; underdeveloped quantitative / mathematics skills;
A questionnaire regarding their Attitudes and Beliefs towards Statistics revealed important findings:
Students are willing to learn and are generally aware of the importance and relevance of statistics;
Mathematics anxiety above average;
In general, statistics is perceived as a complex topic;
Students perceive themselves with low level of mathematics.
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

3. Principles in designing teaching activities
Suggested teaching activities for “Introductory Statistics” in line with findings and to overcome mathematics anxiety:
Case Studies and Guided case studies based on real data (macro and micro data);
Excel guided activities (use of software);
Statistics in context – statistics in the media (Critical stance);
The activities are designed to cover a variety of up-to-date topics;
The main objective is to develop students’ statistical thinking and statistical literacy;
The principles of the modern pedagogy of statistics are applied (GAISE):
Teach statistical thinking;
Emphasize the understanding of the statistical concepts;
Use real data and context for teaching statistics;
Encourage active learning by raising students’ awareness about the things they are doing;
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

4. Data and media sources used for designing the teaching activities
Micro – data :
Survey conducted by the Foundation Friedrich Ebert regarding the perceptions, attitudes towards various life aspects (family, education, religion, politics, etc.) of the young generation in Romania (ages between 15 – 29 years);
About 200 variables; 1302 respondents; representative sample (population size app. 3.8 mil);
Macro – data:
European Union (Romania in the EU context); wide range of topics: social conditions, economy, digital society;
Data source: Eurostat; “My Country in a Bubble“ interactive graphs;
Media coverage of statistics subjects (including graphical representations):
The Economist ( ; World Economic Forum (
Ziarul Financiar ( – main Romanian Business Economic publication)
Romanian National Institute of Statistics (
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

5. Example 1 – Descriptive statistics . Activity sheet
Activity description:
Guided case study, based on micro-data (survey data); duration app. 45 min;
Learning Objectives:
Interpret and communicate the results of a descriptive statistics output;
Assess comparatively two distributions;
Draw information about statistical indicators from a graph / software output;
Activity guide:
Students are asked what is in their opinion the best age marriage for girls / boys; answers and centralized and main statistical indicators are calculated;
Students compare their results with those obtained from the larger survey;
Fill in blanks using the graph or small computations;
Write a short report regarding the main aspects for the two frequency distributions (guidelines are provided);
Principles used:
Active participation / Use of real survey data / Use of software output and graphs;
Focus on interpretative / communication skills.
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

6. Example 1 – Descriptive statistics
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

7. Example 2. Descriptive Statistics. Activity sheet
Activity description:
Guided activity based on real EU data; raise awareness regarding current social context (fertility rate, median age) using statistical indicators;
The activity could also be used as a preparing activity for correlation; duration : 20 min;
Learning objectives:
Develop statistical and critical thinking;
Put statistics in a broader context and linking it to the real-world problems;
Activity guide:
Students study the two “My Country in Bubble” graphs for median age and fertility rate; they compare the indicators of Romania with those of other EU countries;
Using the guiding questions they are asked to find the implications of these figures;
Principles used:
Use real macro-data / Focus on interpretative skills / Use of graphical representations;
Include additional (trivia) information – become aware of the current statistical context.
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

8. Example 2. Descriptive Statistics
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

9. Example 3. Correlation - Statistics in the media. Activity sheet
Activity description:
Critical analysis of an article from a newspaper containing statistical info and graphical representation;
Introductory activity for correlation; duration: 30 min.
Learning objectives:
Identify the correlating variables, read information from a scatter plot;
Develop the critical stance (statistical literacy feature);
Activity guide:
Students analyze the graph, read the article and they go through the guided set of questions;
By answering the questions, students will: identify the variables in the graph, depict the clusters in a scatter plot; correlate the information in the article with what is represented visually; suggest additional indicators that could be calculated.
Principles used:
Statistics in context found in the media; multivariate visual data representation; focus on developing the critical stance
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

10. Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education - 2017

11. Example 4. Non-parametric correlation (with survey data)
In a previous activity, students are given the database and asked to obtain the cross table and comment on the differences between boys and girls regarding engagement in voluntary activities;
Active participation of the students – the teacher asks if they engaged in voluntary activities; the results of the class are compared to those from the survey;
Students are asked to identify a suitable indicator for assessing the association between the two variables.
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

12. Example 5. Graphical misrepresentations (EU data)
 Requests:
-Identify the error(s) in each of the above graph (hints: think of the variable type, the chart type used, scales, etc.).
-Explain the misinterpretations caused by each graph and how the information is distorted by using the specific chart.
- Suggest and draw the correct graph for the data at hand.
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

13. Example 6. Statistics in the media (Population pyramid)
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

14. Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education - 2017
To sum up…
Mathematical anxiety is an important barrier in teaching statistics to undergraduate students with a social science background;
Students have get the sense that:
“There has never been a more exciting time to be involved in statistics” (Ridgway, 2016)
Teaching activities for non-statisticians should focus on:
Use of real data covering a wide range of topics;
Involve students in the data “creation” process;
Use multiple graphical representations;
Develop critical thinking;
Less focus on mathematics, formulas, etc.
Emphasize the interpretative skills and communicative skills;
Use statistics found in the media and raise awareness of the ubiquity and importance of statistics in the daily life.
Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education

15. Challenges and Innovations in Statistics Education - 2017