Connections with Language to Help Statistics Students Make Content Connections D R. A MY W AGLER (...

Connections with Language to HelpStatistics Students Make Content Connections

DR. AMY WAGLER (AWAGLER2@UTEP.EDU) DR. LARRY LESSER (LESSER@UTEP.EDU)

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO

Everyday Experience

Everyday Experience

http://www.creditcards.com/credit-card-news/video-credit-card-statement-readability-man-on-street-1282.php

everyday language (positive) examplefrom For All Practical Purposes, 8e (2009, p. 159)

“just as a median divides a road into two halves (with opposite directions of travel), a median divides a dataset into two halves!”

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/the-digital-ramble-planes-trains-and-automobiles/

Why talk about language?

Why talk about language?

• Language use affects how students form concepts– Cognitive, affective, social processes within

language how students learn• Can we characterize aspects of language use

that affect learning?– Computational linguistics is a resource

Text Readability and Connections

• Text readability/complexity is a major factor that affects comprehension and content connections (Schoerning, 2013)

• Modern tools are available that effectively measure readability/complexity– Research or instructional tool

Analyzing Textbooks and beyond…

• Textbooks are a common medium for making connections between students and content– More self-authored or editable textbooks available

• Exam questions and case studies– Questions about context or word usage

• Instructor notes• MOOCS, intelligent tutoring systems, etc…

Role of Language in Making Connections

• Use of language increasingly important– Changing student demographics: more students

from diverse language backgrounds and/or non-traditional academic preparation

– GAISE recommends teaching that emphasizes statistical literacy, development of statistical reasoning, and conceptual understanding

Example: Finding the First Quartile

Version 1:“Arrange the observations in increasing order and locate the median M in the ordered list of observations. The first quartile is the median of the observations whose position in the ordered list is to the left of the location of the overall median.”

Version 2:“Use the median to split the ordered data set into two halves – an upper half and a lower half. The first quartile is the median of the lower half.”

Quartile Example

Version 1: Version 2:

A Brief Example

Version 1:

The mean is greater than the median because of some large observations.

Version 2:

The mean is greater than the median. There are some large observations.

A Brief Example: Version 1The mean is greater than the median because of some large observations.

A Brief Example: Version 2The mean is greater than the median. There are some large observations.

A Brief Example

Version 1: Version 2: The mean is greater than the median. There are some large observations.

The mean is greater than the median because of some large observations.

Exercise: Citrus Growers

A citrus growers association believes that the mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits by people in the U.S. is at least 94 pounds per year. A random sample of 103 people in the U.S. has a mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits of 93.5 pounds per year and a standard deviation of 30 pounds. At α = 0.02, can you reject the association’s claim that the mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits by people in the U.S. is at least 94 pounds per year?

LexTutor output for Citrus Growers exercise

How might text be changed to increase familiarity of words?

A citrus growers association believes that the mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits by people in the U.S. is at least 94 pounds per year. A random sample of 103 people in the U.S. has a mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits of 93.5 pounds per year and a standard deviation of 30 pounds. At α = 0.02, can you reject the association’s claim that the mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits by people in the U.S. is at least 94 pounds per year?

a Citrus Growers RevisionA citrus growers association believes that the mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits by people in the U.S. is at least 94 pounds per year. A random sample of 103 people in the U.S. has a mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits of 93.5 pounds per year and a standard deviation of 30 pounds. At α = 0.02, can you reject the association’s claim that the mean consumption of fresh citrus fruits by people in the U.S. is at least 94 pounds per year?

An organization of people who grow oranges claims that the mean number of pounds of oranges eaten by people in the US each year is at least 94 pounds. A random sample of 103 people in the U.S. has a mean of 93.5 pounds of oranges eaten per person per year and a standard deviation of 30 pounds of oranges. At α = 0.02, can you reject the organization’s claim?

Citrus Growers Example

Version 1: Version 2:

Lextutor Analysis

• Submit a text to the Lextutor VocabProfiler: http://www.lextutor.ca/vp/eng/

• Review results with a small group• Share results with session• Insights?

Coh-Metrix TEA Analysis

• Create a free account and submit a text to the Coh-Metrix TEA: http://tea.cohmetrix.com/

• Review results with a small group• Share results with session• Insights?

Thank you for picking our session!

DR. AMY WAGLER (AWAGLER2@UTEP.EDU) DR. LARRY LESSER (LESSER@UTEP.EDU)

THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO