Abstract:

Which factors influence learning success in statistics courses? In addition to different learning methods as well as work and social types, it seem plausible that learning styles play a role. Learning style inventories and tests in statistics seminars are used to answer this question. On the one hand, this makes it possible to identify different types of learning and, on the other, it enables the relationship between different types of learning and their levels of success to be examined.

In the first step, the types of inventories suitable for statistics at universities which are already available will be identified. There are currently very few learning style inventories for this subject which are useful. Two learning style inventories seem particularly well-suited for mathematical contexts: the “Conquering Math Anxiety“ from Dr. Cynthia A. Arem and a learning style inventory which was developed by university education experts that revises and supplements the LIST (Schiefele) tests for statistics teaching.

Tests which identify the standard of knowledge of the students at several points of measurement serve to expand the learning style inventories. These tests are oriented on the content of the seminars, and a question concerning logical thinking has also been integrated.

A seminar for questionnaire creation then revises, supplements and tests the learning style inventories. This is followed by detailed, cognitive pre-tests. It turns out that the inventories and the learning test are well-suited for identifying different types of learning.

The two learning style inventories and the knowledge test were then used in a statistics seminar and the results were analyzed. These will be available in February and are to be presented at INTED 2014

Keywords:

Learning success, statistics courses, learning style inventories, learning types.