Digital divide in quantitative methods: The effects of computer‐assisted instruction and students' attitudes on knowledge acquisition.
Computer‐assisted instruction can change the way introductory statistics and quantitative methods courses are taught. Using a two‐group pretest–posttest design, we conducted an experiment using an undergraduate social science student sample to investigate whether the introduction of statistical soft...
| Publicado en: | Journal of Computer Assisted Learning Vol. 35; no. 2; pp. 208 - 218 |
|---|---|
| Autores principales: | , |
| Formato: | research tables/charts Journal Article |
| Publicado: |
Wiley-Blackwell
Apr2019
|
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| Sumario: | Computer‐assisted instruction can change the way introductory statistics and quantitative methods courses are taught. Using a two‐group pretest–posttest design, we conducted an experiment using an undergraduate social science student sample to investigate whether the introduction of statistical software to teaching quantitative methods would improve knowledge acquisition and attitudes toward quantitative methods courses. Our project confirmed that implementing computer‐assisted instructional methods increased knowledge acquisition in quantitative methods courses compared with students' academic performance in other courses, measured by grade point average. We also found that student attitudes have weak and mostly nonsignificant influence on quantitative methods knowledge tests. Additionally, the paper suggests a curriculum‐level approach to teaching quantitative methods to undergraduate students. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: Computer‐assisted learning environments are more effective in teaching statistics than traditional lecture instructionsStudents' attitudes toward the subject matter are important for their knowledge acquisitionStudents' attitudes toward quantitative methods are overall negativeComputer‐assisted learning helps improve student attitudes in some cases What this paper adds: Computer‐assisted instruction had higher impact on knowledge acquisition than students' overall academic performanceStudent attitudes have lower effect on knowledge acquisition than the introduction of computer‐assisted instruction or grade point averageStudents' attitudes toward quantitative methods courses change slowly similar with any other attitudesComputer‐assisted instruction is effective in cultural settings other than those in the western world Implications for practice and/or policy: Knowledge acquisition of quantitative methods depends on instructional choices and students' overall academic performance. Universities should address students' attitudes toward quantitative methods at the curriculum level. |
|---|