Understanding Statistics in Research Articles
Workshop
Friday, January 4
9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Rose Library 5211
Does understanding the statistical techniques described in a research article prove to be difficult at times? Skimming the methods or results segment of a paper or publication is one survival strategy. Assessing the validity or limitations of the statistical claims in these articles is the next step. The facilitator will overview statistical methods commonly used in research articles and the many factors that may affect the validity of these methods. Participants are invited to share research articles and their questions of concern with the facilitator prior to the workshop.
Participants will:
- Develop a list of items to look for when critically evaluating the quantitative portion of a scholarly article.
- Learn skills relevant to critically evaluating the results of statistical hypothesis tests and/or claims.
- Review basic univariate statistical methods.
- Build connections between different univariate statistical methods.
- Become aware of the uses of multivariate statistical methods.
Facilitator:
Sam Prins, Associate Professor, Department of Math and Statistics, Faculty Associate, CFI
Facilitator Bio:
Sam Prins is an associate professor in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics where she teaches the general education introductory statistics course as well as a variety of courses for minors and majors in statistics. Sam uses a variety of learner centered approaches in her courses including POGIL and Team-Based Learning as well as combinations of lecturing and learner-centered approaches. Her work on learner-centered instruction in an upper level theoretical statistics course was published in the Journal of Statistics Education. Since joining JMU in 2006, Sam has participated in two Madison Teaching Fellows programs and recently became a faculty associate with CFI. Sam received a B.S. (Hons) in Statistics from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Washington. Her scholarly interests include environmental statistics and the scholarship of teaching and learning as it pertains to statistics.
For more information contact the Center for Faculty Innovation | 540-568-4846