The Experience of Teaching Statistics to Non-Specialist Students in Saudi Universities: The Role of Technology and Language

Alomir, A., McColl, J. and Bovill, C. (2014) The Experience of Teaching Statistics to Non-Specialist Students in Saudi Universities: The Role of Technology and Language. In: International Conference on Education in Mathematics, Science & Technology (ICEMST 2014), Konya, Turkey, 16-18 May 2014, pp. 359-365. ISBN 9786056143434

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Abstract

The importance of statistics is not limited to statisticians but also impacts on non-statisticians who have to use statistics. One important issue is how statistics is best taught to, and learned by, non-specialist students. The pervasive use of the English language causes additional challenges to learners whose first language is not English, especially when technological resources that use English language, such as statistics software packages, are an integral part of the course. This paper presents research into the current position in Saudi universities, where there has previously been a lack of research into this topic. Mixed methods research has been used: a questionnaire survey of 1,053 students and qualitative interviews with 16 teachers of statistics from all colleges within all six universities where statistics is taught to non-specialist students in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region. This presentation will discuss differences between the experiences of learners taught in the Arabic and English languages.

Item Type:Conference Proceedings
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Bovill, Dr Catherine and McColl, Professor John
Authors: Alomir, A., McColl, J., and Bovill, C.
College/School:College of Science and Engineering > School of Mathematics and Statistics > Statistics
University Services > Learning and Teaching Services Division
ISBN:9786056143434
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2014 Ahmet Kelesoglu Education Faculty
Publisher Policy:Reproduced with the permission of the publisher.
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