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published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study investigated the potential application of web-based pedagogy for teachers of elementary statistics, using A Pedagogical Information System (APIS), in order to explore ways in which teachers can enhance instruction via technology in the classroom. This information system would provide new opportunities for practical teacher education, given that the literature on statistics pedagogy and web-based teaching and learning is sparse. The purpose of the study was to examine issues of efficacy, efficiency, and effectiveness of the use of Internet websites in the instruction of introductory statistics at the college level. The design of the study was qualitative and used a phenomenological interpretive method. The participants in this study were four instructors of introductory statistics courses at the undergraduate level of higher education in a northeastern state in the United States. They were interviewed individually for approximately 60 minutes in a semi-structured format in which they discussed their experiences and perceptions about using Internet sources for instruction of students in Introductory Statistics. The results of the study indicated that teachers welcomed incorporating technology into their classrooms. Participants found that having students with different learning styles, allocating time to deal with details, and having difficulty managing the interplay between topics as being key problems that could arise in the organization of a web-based introduction to an elementary statistics course. Although all participants agreed that there is a lack of uniformity among statistical topics, most wanted to emphasize descriptive statistics, distributions, probability, inference, confidence intervals, and regression. They acknowledged that web-based learning would radically alter student and teacher roles, so that the teacher would become a mentor and students would become active learners. Instruction would be geared more to practical applications than to theory. Instructors would have to make decisions about how much web-based information they would use and would have to become knowledgeable about web content.

Learning through examples is a central and widely used instructional device for teaching mathematically-based subjects such as statistical probability. However, the applications of the superficial variability of examples remain controversial. This dissertation investigates how the superficial variability of multiple examples influences students' learning and transfer of probability problem-solving. Moreover, the author discovers whether content difficulty affects the influence of examples' superficial variability. Three conditions were developed and compared: consistent-surface condition (CS), varied-surface-within-rule condition (VSWR), and varied-surface-between-rule condition (VSBR). For the purpose of exploration and methodology improvement for the dissertation study, two pilot studies were conducted. However, conflicting results were shown in those two studies. In the first pilot study, students in CS condition performed the worst. In the second pilot study, students in VSBR condition performed the worst. These conflicting results encouraged the author, even more, to conduct the dissertation study with a larger sample size and improved methodology. In this dissertation study, the author found that students' performance on the posttests in VSBR was significantly worse than in the other two conditions, which was consistent with the second pilot study, and that their performance in CS and VSWR condition was not different. Contrary to expectation, the strength of the pattern of the effect of the superficial variability of examples did not vary between the easy and difficult types of problems. Moreover, the pattern was the same when the difficulty variable was not included. These results suggested that examples' superficial consistency between different problem types promotes more effective learning than superficial variation between different problem types. The consistency can be one single cover story used multiple times for each type of problem or the same battery of varied cover stories used repeatedly for different types of problem. Moreover, the pattern of the influence of superficial variability of examples is robust among types of the problem at varying difficulty levels.

The purpose of this study was to compare student achievement and satisfaction in online versus traditional introductory statistics courses. The sample studied were undergraduates at a small liberal arts school enrolled in introductory statistics over a period of six semesters. There were a few significant findings in student achievement in the overall sample and other meaningful results were found when assessing nursing and business majors specifically. Student satisfaction results between the two formats were inconclusive. Future studies on this topic can include hybrid education data in addition to online and traditional to see if there are any differences in achievement or student satisfaction in that population. Another possible study could be done regarding achievement in students who took preparatory training prior to enrolling in an online course.

Orientador: Maria Lucia Lorenzetti Wodewotzki / Banca: Celi A. Espasandin Lopes / Banca: Dilson Henrique Ramos Evangelista / Banca: Joana Maria Leitão Brocardo / Banca: Rosa Monteiro Paulo / Resumo: Nessa pesquisa procuramos compreender de que forma a Educação Estatística, pode contribuir para que as crianças do 1º ano do ciclo de alfabetização desenvolvam o Sentido de número. Participaram da pesquisa 30 crianças de uma turma do primeiro ano da Escola Municipal Dr. Gladsen Guerra de Rezende em Uberlândia/Minas Gerais. Para compreender a problemática da pesquisa, realizamos uma investigação de cunho qualitativo na modalidade estudo de caso e buscamos o referencial teórico na Educação Estatística, nos estudos sobre Sentido de Número e Investigação Matemática. A coleta de dados foi realizada, por meio de um conjunto de tarefas aos quais denominamos Contextos de investigação. A investigação, a descoberta, a reflexão e a validação foram elementos básicos no processo de construção e desenvolvimento das tarefas. Para elaboração das tarefas, apoiamos nos referenciais teóricos de Sentido de Número e Educação Estatística. Para o desenvolvimento, buscamos fundamentos teóricos da Investigação Matemática. Realizamos observação participante pois coube à pesquisadora a aplicação das tarefas. Para apreciação coletiva das tarefas, realizamos rodas de conversa. Para as análises, entrecruzamos esses três referenciais com os indicadores de sentido de número propostos por Mcintosh, Reys e Reys (1992). Constatamos que as tarefas do contexto da Estatística que favoreçam a exploração de números e suas relações, a partir de situações que permitam a criança coletar, tabular, analisar dados e com... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In this study we aim to understand how Statistical Education can help children in the first year of the literacy cycle to develop Number Sense. Thirty children from a firstyear class from the Dr. Gladsen Guerra de Rezende Municipal School in Uberlândia / Minas Gerais participated in the study. To understand the questioning of the study, we carried out a qualitative research in the case study modality and looked for the theoretical reference in Statistical Education, in studies on Number Sense, and Mathematical Investigation. Data collection was performed through a set of tasks called Research Contexts. Research, discovery, reflection, and validation were basic elements in the process of construction and development of the tasks. To elaborate these tasks, we were supported by the theoretical references on Number Sense and Statistical Education. For the development, we sought theoretical foundations of Mathematical Research. We performed participant observation because it was up to the researcher to apply the tasks. For the collective appreciation of the tasks, we organized talk rounds. For the analyses we cross-checked these three references with the number sense indicators proposed by Mcintosh, Reys and Reys (1992). We found that the tasks of the statistical context which favor the exploration of numbers and their relations, from situations that allow the child to collect, tabulate, analyze data, and communicate their ideas in an environment of discussion focused on the processes of learning and reasoning, the methodology and the interaction of Statistical concepts with Mathematical concepts, the interrelation of Statistical Education and Mathematical investigation, are essential elements for the development of the child's number sense. The results allow affirming that the children had, by participating in this research, the opportunity to develop their number sense / Doutor

Orientador: Maria Lucia Lorenzetti Wodewotzki / Banca: Marcos Vieira Teixeira / Banca: Heloisa da Silva / Banca: André Luis Matttedi Dias / Banca: Oscar João Abdounur / Resumo: Quando se fala em Estatística na Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ/USP), o primeiro nome lembrado é o do professor Frederico Pimentel Gomes. Ele assumiu a Cadeira de Matemática em 1959, e a partir de então passou a atuar fortemente no campo da Estatística, publicando livros que foram amplamente referenciados, tornando-se destaque neste campo. O objetivo inicial desta pesquisa foi o de investigar e analisar o Ensino de Estatística na ESALQ no período anterior à atuação do professor Frederico Pimentel Gomes. Para constituir esta história, tivemos acesso a alguns depoimentos e a diversos documentos, como por exemplo, Diários de Classe, Programas de Cadeiras, Caderno de Aluno, Livros e Apostilas de Estatística. Diante da análise das informações advindas destas fontes identificamos a importância de outros personagens: Edgard do Amaral Graner (Cadeira de Genética e, posteriormente, Cadeira de Agricultura), Friedrich Gustav Brieger (Cadeira de Genética) e Carlos Teixeira Mendes (Cadeira de Agricultura). Partindo da atuação destes personagens, escrevemos uma história sobre o Ensino de Estatística na ESALQ, discutindo também sobre as abordagens no Ensino de Estatística deste período e algumas problemáticas enfrentadas / Abstract: When someone mentions Statistics in the Agriculture College Luiz de Queiroz, called ESALQ, in Sao Paulo University (USP), Brazil, the first name that is remembered is Frederico Pimentel Gomes. He assumed the Mathematics‟ Cathedra in 1959 and, since then, worked in Statistic. Frederico has published Statistics books that were widely referenced making him essential for this field. In this study we investigated and analyzed the Statistics Teaching in ESALQ, prior to the arrival of professor Frederico Pimentel Gomes. In order to construct this history, we had access to some testimonials and documents, such as Class Diaries, Course Programs, Handouts, books and a Student‟s Notebook. After analyzing these sources, we identified the importance of others people, such as: Edgard do Amaral Graner (Genetics Cathedra and subsequently Agriculture Cathedra), Friedrich Gustav Brieger (Genetics Cathedra) and Carlos Teixeira Mendes (Agriculture Cathedra). Starting from the participation of these people we wrote a history on the Statistics Teaching at ESALQ. We also discussed approaches and problematics encountered in Statistics Teaching at that period / Doutor