What & Who?

Two undergradaute students, Catherine Ashley and Ashley Marascalco took our labs to task as a research project. They developed a screencast for an independent samples t-test design. In an experiment, they compared reviewing a screencast versus reviewing a manual on completion of a 10 question assignment using SPSS. The timed assignment was completed without the aid of the screencast or manual. All the students in the study were currently enrolled in a statistics class and had been over the material in question during the course of the semester. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of gender, number of math classes completed, math anxiety, or computer anxiety. We are sharing some of the students research below and on the pages that follow.

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Abstract:

This paper examined the effectiveness of screencast tutorials in explaining statistical concepts and statistical software to undergraduates enrolled in PSYC 3070 (Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences).  We demonstrated the key concepts to a treatment group using a visual tutorial. The control group was given a SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) manual only, with appropriate sections marked for review. The student’s skills were measured with a test on mathematical calculations and statistical concepts through the use of the SPSS software.  We found that the treatment group scored significantly higher on the test overall, as well as completing the test significantly sooner than the control group.  We discuss the implications for teaching statistics visually and verbally, and the many benefits it offers to the educational program.