Training Structural Awareness with StatHand: A 1 Year Follow-Up
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| Title: | Training Structural Awareness with StatHand: A 1 Year Follow-Up |
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| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Allen, Peter J. (ORCID |
| Source: | Teaching of Psychology. Apr 2022 49(2):136-143. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 8 |
| Publication Date: | 2022 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Statistical Analysis, Statistics Education, Instructional Effectiveness, Selection, Computer Uses in Education, Research Design, Research Training, Undergraduate Students |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0098628320985080 |
| ISSN: | 0098-6283 |
| Abstract: | Background: Allen, Fielding, East, et al. demonstrated experimentally that structural awareness, or the ability to disregard a research problem's topic and instead focus on its structural features, can be trained using StatHand (https://stathand.net). Most training benefits persisted for 1 week. Objective: The objective was to assess the longer-term effects of training. Method: One year after training (or control activities), 54 participants were re-administered 5 measures of structural awareness and 1 statistic selection measure. Results: Trained participants continued to reliably out-perform control participants on 4 measures of structural awareness, though no longer on the 5th. Over the year, decrements in trained participants' performance on the 5 structural awareness measures were mostly small. However, 1 year after training, the trained participants' statistic selection advantage had largely disappeared. Conclusion: Brief structural awareness training can have long-term benefits, though selecting an appropriate statistical test for common research scenarios without assistance remains a difficult task. Teaching Implications: Structural awareness can be trained. However, even structurally aware students cannot reliably select appropriate statistics without assistance. Training plus easy access to a decision-making aid should maximize statistic selection accuracy. Our evidence-based training methods and materials, including StatHand, can be freely used and adapted for these purposes. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://osf.io/p7b4m |
| Entry Date: | 2022 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1334219 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Background: Allen, Fielding, East, et al. demonstrated experimentally that structural awareness, or the ability to disregard a research problem's topic and instead focus on its structural features, can be trained using StatHand (https://stathand.net). Most training benefits persisted for 1 week. Objective: The objective was to assess the longer-term effects of training. Method: One year after training (or control activities), 54 participants were re-administered 5 measures of structural awareness and 1 statistic selection measure. Results: Trained participants continued to reliably out-perform control participants on 4 measures of structural awareness, though no longer on the 5th. Over the year, decrements in trained participants' performance on the 5 structural awareness measures were mostly small. However, 1 year after training, the trained participants' statistic selection advantage had largely disappeared. Conclusion: Brief structural awareness training can have long-term benefits, though selecting an appropriate statistical test for common research scenarios without assistance remains a difficult task. Teaching Implications: Structural awareness can be trained. However, even structurally aware students cannot reliably select appropriate statistics without assistance. Training plus easy access to a decision-making aid should maximize statistic selection accuracy. Our evidence-based training methods and materials, including StatHand, can be freely used and adapted for these purposes. |
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| ISSN: | 0098-6283 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0098628320985080 |
