In article <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
Michael Granaas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>In thinking about my own failure to get students to ask follow up
>questions to a null hypothesis test I have formulated a couple of possible
>reasons. Let me know what you think.
>1. Even when we teach statistics in the discipline areas we fail to
>integrate it with research. We teach a course in statistics and a course
>in research design/methodology as if they were two distinct topics. It
>seems to me that this could easily encourage the type of thinking that
>leads to substantive questions not being linked to the statistical
>hypothesis/procedure selected.
>I have often wondered if an integrated course/course sequence might not be
>better.
A course sequence of a rather different kind is definitely
in order. It would be at least three courses.
The first course would be a general probability only course,
with the emphasis on understanding probability, not in carrying
out computations. This has nothing to do with the discipline
of the individual student, although the level should be such
that it uses as much mathematics as the student is going to know.
One might, at this stage, introduce the ideas of statistical
decision making, but most will need a full course in probability
first to understand probability well enough to use it in any
sensible manner. If probability is presented as merely the
limit of relative frequency, this might be quite difficult.
The second course should be a course in probability modeling
in the student's department of application. The construction
of probability models, the making of assumptions, and the
meaning of those assumptions, is almost totally absent in
those using statistics today. There should be strong warnings
about the dangers of those assumptions being false, and that
in practice these assumptions might not be quite true.
Only after this can one reasonably deal with the uncertainties
of inference.
--
This address is for information only. I do not claim that these views
are those of the Statistics Department or of Purdue University.
Herman Rubin, Dept. of Statistics, Purdue Univ., West Lafayette IN47907-1399
[EMAIL PROTECTED] Phone: (765)494-6054 FAX: (765)494-0558
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