Robyn Reaburn

Students' understanding of statistical inference: Implications for teaching

What is an appropriate structure for reporting a study of tertiary students’ understanding of statistical inference, following an Action Research paradigm?

What is the Purpose of Education

What is the purpose of education? My parents used to talk about the Three Rs: Reading, Writing and ‘rithmetic’. Now I am a parent I would be most annoyed if I felt my children were not being taught these things while they are at school. If I were an employer I would be disappointed if the only staff available to me were illiterate.

Students understanding of variation on entering tertiary education

Researchers use statistics to make judgements about their data. Did the new drug work better than the old drug? What is the best combination of feed, temperature and water conditions for breeding abalone in an artificial environment? What methods of teaching fractions work? In all these situations, researchers only have access to a part of the population, a sample. It is not possible to examine all the people who will ever take a drug to see how it works, nor is it possible to test all the students who are learning about fractions.