also, intro stat is taught so many different ways ... with so many different syllabi ... so many different emphases ... etc. etal. and ibib ibid ibid ... i am not sure any PRE skill test is going to be that helpful
sure, we know that in general stat has math in it and if the students' math skills are very weak ... they are likely to have some problems but ... that doesn't mean they can't catch on to some basic concepts and profit from the experience ...
keep in mind too that most courses use software ... or calculators ... so lack in actual math skill is not quite so important ... unfortunately though ... those who are really weak in math probably are a bit nervous about the computer too ... that's why it is very important for instructors to take SUFFICIENT time to help the students learn to use the software and/or calculator ...
At 04:29 PM 10/7/03 -0700, Stu's Views wrote:
Dennis Roberts wrote:
but, isn't general math ... what you really need? maybe using a calculator ... simple algebra ... knowing how to solve simple equations ... basic operations like (yes ... it IS basic) adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing, taking roots ... etc.
Yes, and the ability to analyze and communicate the results of such analyses. A statistics readiness should address both mathematical and linguistic abilities, at least.
I refrain from guessing a minimal level for each, but I do ask students to interpret the given results of a described experiment, so no mathematical (read: arithmetic) expertise, per se, is needed.
I often use published research, so the result are usually statistically significant.
Stu Garfield High School Los Angeles
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