American Statistical Association Report Offers Guidelines for Use of Statistics in Mathematics Education Research
The “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001” (NCLB, now Public Law 107-110) calls for research that “involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs.” An ASA working group, in a series of workshops over a three-year period, reviewed current mathematical research and discussed modern statistical methods that could be applied to such research. The ASA report, Using Statistics Effectively in Mathematics Education Research, offers an outline of guidelines for evaluating and reporting mathematics education research.
Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) February 26, 2007 — A report released recently by the American Statistical Association (ASA) offers an outline of guidelines for evaluating and reporting mathematics education research. The report, Using Statistics Effectively in Mathematics Education Research, is the result of three years of workshops funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and conducted by the ASA’s Working Group on Statistics in Mathematics Education Research.
The “No Child Left Behind Act of 2001” (NCLB, now Public Law 107-110) calls for research that “involves the application of rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain reliable and valid knowledge relevant to education activities and programs.” The ASA working group, in a series of workshops over a three-year period, reviewed current mathematical research and discussed modern statistical methods that could be applied to such research. The process, according to Richard L. Scheaffer, working group chair, “consisted of amazingly frank and deep debates on issues surrounding the important research questions in mathematics education and the statistical methodologies that might be employed to solve them.”
The key components of a research program, which are discussed and defined extensively in the report, are:
The ASA working group was comprised of statisticians and mathematics education researchers to include a broader perspective and provide a more fruitful result. The complete report is available for viewing or downloading via the ASA web site at http://www.amstat.org/research_grants/pdfs/SMERReport.pdf
About the American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association (ASA), a scientific and educational society founded in Boston in 1839, is the second oldest professional society in the United States. For more than 160 years, ASA has been providing its 18,000 members serving in academia, government, and industry and the public with up-to-date, useful information about statistics. The ASA has a proud tradition of service to statisticians, quantitative scientists, and users of statistics across a wealth of academic areas and applications. For additional information about the American Statistical Association, please visit the association’s web site at http://www.amstat.org or call 703.684.1221.
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