Application Exercises Improve Transfer of Statistical Knowledge in Real-World Situations

The present research investigated whether real-world application exercises promoted students’ abilities to spontaneously transfer statistical knowledge and to recognize the use of statistics in real-world contexts. Over the course of a semester of psychological statistics, two classes completed mult...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Teaching of Psychology 2013-07, Vol.40 (3), p.200-207
Main Authors: Daniel, Frances, Braasch, Jason L. G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Active Learning
College Instruction
College Mathematics
College students
Comparative Analysis
Curricula
Indiana
Instructional Effectiveness
Knowledge
Learning Activities
Mathematics Instruction
Psychology
Questionnaires
Statistics
Transfer of Training
Undergraduate Students
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Summary:The present research investigated whether real-world application exercises promoted students’ abilities to spontaneously transfer statistical knowledge and to recognize the use of statistics in real-world contexts. Over the course of a semester of psychological statistics, two classes completed multiple application exercises designed to mimic real-world contexts; three control classes did not complete the exercises. At the end of the semester, all classes completed questions to assess transfer of statistical knowledge and answered a question that addressed how statistics apply to their everyday lives. Results indicated that students who previously participated in the application exercise activities displayed a greater usage of statistical knowledge when answering far-transfer questions and mentioned real-world applications of statistics more often compared to control students. We discuss the implications of transfer-promoting interventions in equipping students with statistical knowledge that they can flexibly apply in more real-world situations.
ISSN:0098-6283
1532-8023
DOI:10.1177/0098628313487462