Alomir, Abdullah Mohammed (2016) The experience of teaching statistics to non-specialist ...

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Alomir, Abdullah Mohammed (2016) The experience of teaching
statistics to non-specialist students in Saudi universities. PhD thesis.

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The Experience of Teaching Statistics
to Non-specialist Students in Saudi
Universities

Abdullah Mohammed Alomir
BSc, MSc

Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree
of Doctor of Philosophy in Statistics

School of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Glasgow

July 2016
Abstract
Undoubtedly, statistics has become one of the most important subjects in the modern
world, where its applications are ubiquitous. The importance of statistics is not limited to
statisticians, but also impacts upon non-statisticians who have to use statistics within their
own disciplines. Several studies have indicated that most of the academic departments
around the world have realized the importance of statistics to non-specialist students.
Therefore, the number of students enrolled in statistics courses has vastly increased, coming
from a variety of disciplines. Consequently, research within the scope of statistics education
has been able to develop throughout the last few years.
One important issue is how statistics is best taught to, and learned by, non-specialist
students. This issue is controlled by several factors that affect the learning and teaching of
statistics to non-specialist students, such as the use of technology, the role of the English
language (especially for those whose first language is not English), the effectiveness of
statistics teachers and their approach towards teaching statistics courses, students’
motivation to learn statistics and the relevance of statistics courses to the main subjects of
non-specialist students. Several studies, focused on aspects of learning and teaching
statistics, have been conducted in different countries around the world, particularly in
Western countries. Conversely, the situation in Arab countries, especially in Saudi Arabia,
is different; here, there is very little research in this scope, and what there is does not meet
the needs of those countries towards the development of learning and teaching statistics to
non-specialist students. This research was instituted in order to develop the field of statistics
education.
The purpose of this mixed methods study was to generate new insights into this
subject by investigating how statistics courses are currently taught to non-specialist students
in Saudi universities. Hence, this study will contribute towards filling the knowledge gap
that exists in Saudi Arabia. This study used multiple data collection approaches, including
questionnaire surveys from 1053 non-specialist students who had completed at least one
statistics course in different colleges of the universities in Saudi Arabia. These surveys were
followed up with qualitative data collected via semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers
of statistics from colleges within all six universities where statistics is taught to non-
specialist students in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region.
The data from questionnaires included several types, so different techniques were
used in analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to identify the demographic characteristics
I
of the participants. The chi-square test was used to determine associations between variables.
Based on the main issues that are raised from literature review, the questions (items scales)
were grouped and five key groups of questions were obtained which are: 1) Effectiveness of
Teachers; 2) English Language; 3) Relevance of Course; 4) Student Engagement; 5) Using
Technology. Exploratory data analysis was used to explore these issues in more detail.
Furthermore, with the existence of clustering in the data (students within departments within
colleges, within universities), multilevel generalized linear models for dichotomous analysis
have been used to clarify the effects of clustering at those levels. Factor analysis was
conducted confirming the dimension reduction of variables (items scales).
The data from teachers’ interviews were analysed on an individual basis. The
responses were assigned to one of the eight themes that emerged from within the data: 1) the
lack of students’ motivation to learn statistics; 2) students' participation; 3) students’
assessment; 4) the effective use of technology; 5) the level of previous mathematical and
statistical skills of non-specialist students; 6) the English language ability of non-specialist
students; 7) the need for extra time for teaching and learning statistics; and 8) the role of
administrators.
All the data from students and teachers indicated that the situation of learning and
teaching statistics to non-specialist students in Saudi universities needs to be improved in
order to meet the needs of those students. The findings of this study suggested a weakness
in the use of statistical software applications in these courses. This study showed that there
is lack of application of technology such as statistical software programs in these courses,
which would allow non-specialist students to consolidate their knowledge. The results also
indicated that English language is considered one of the main challenges in learning and
teaching statistics, particularly in institutions where English is not used as the main language.
Moreover, the weakness of mathematical skills of students is considered another major
challenge. Additionally, the results indicated that there was a need to tailor statistics courses
to the needs of non-specialist students based on their main subjects. The findings indicate
that statistics teachers need to choose appropriate methods when teaching statistics courses.

II
Table of contents
Abstract .................................................................................................................................. I
Table of contents .................................................................................................................. III
List of Tables...................................................................................................................... VII
List of Figures ......................................................................................................................IX
Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................. X
Chapter 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................... 1
1.1. Background of the study .............................................................................................. 1
1.2. Research problem ........................................................................................................ 2
1.3. Significance of the study ............................................................................................. 3
1.4. Research questions ...................................................................................................... 4
1.5. Overview of methodology ........................................................................................... 4
1.6. The structure of the thesis ........................................................................................... 4
Chapter 2. Literature Review ................................................................................................. 6
2.1. Introduction ................................................................................................................. 6
2.2. Approaches to learning and teaching in higher education........................................... 6
2.2.1. Student-centred and teacher-centred approaches to teaching .......................... 6
2.2.2. Improving student learning in higher education .............................................. 8
2.2.3. Course design ................................................................................................. 10
2.3. Learning and teaching statistics................................................................................. 11
2.3.1. What is statistics? ........................................................................................... 11
2.3.2. The difference between statistics and mathematics ....................................... 12
2.3.3. Statistics education ......................................................................................... 13
2.4. Teaching statistics to non-specialist students ............................................................ 15
2.4.1. Statistics in the curriculum of universities ..................................................... 15
2.4.2. Non-specialist students’ views of statistics .................................................... 17
2.4.3. Collaborative learning in statistics ................................................................. 20
2.4.4. Challenges of teaching statistics to non-specialist students ........................... 21
2.4.5. Assessments in statistics ................................................................................ 21
2.4.6. Use of real data............................................................................................... 23
2.5. The impact of the teacher in learning and teaching Statistics ................................... 23
2.5.1. Conceptual understanding in teaching statistics ............................................ 23
2.5.2. Teachers’ statistics knowledge ....................................................................... 24
2.5.3. Teachers’ attitudes toward statistics............................................................... 24
III
2.5.4. Statistics teaching methods ............................................................................ 25
2.6. The impact of technology in learning and teaching Statistics ................................... 26
2.6.1. The role of technology in education............................................................... 26
2.6.2. Technology in statistics courses ..................................................................... 27
2.6.3. The impact of technology on students' statistical learning ............................ 28
2.6.4. Appropriate technology tools ......................................................................... 30
2.6.5. Barriers to technology in statistics ................................................................. 30
2.7. The impact of language in learning and teaching Statistics ...................................... 32
2.7.1. Statistics terminology ..................................................................................... 32
2.7.2. English language at non-English speaking universities ................................. 32
2.7.3. Diversity of students in the classroom ........................................................... 34
2.8. Learning and teaching Statistics in different countries ............................................. 36
2.9. Summary ................................................................................................................... 39
Chapter 3. Research Methodology ....................................................................................... 41
3.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 41
3.2. Research design and methodology ............................................................................ 41
3.3. Research approach ..................................................................................................... 42
3.3.1. Quantitative approach .................................................................................... 42
3.3.2. Qualitative approach ...................................................................................... 43
3.3.3. Mixed methods approach ............................................................................... 44
3.4. Data collection methods ............................................................................................ 45
3.4.1. Questionnaire ................................................................................................. 45
3.4.2. The interview ................................................................................................. 48
3.5. Translation of the data collection instruments........................................................... 49
3.6. The pilot study ........................................................................................................... 50
3.7. Sampling design ........................................................................................................ 51
3.7.1. Characteristics of the universities .................................................................. 52
3.7.2. Sampling of teachers ...................................................................................... 53
3.7.3. Data collection procedures ............................................................................. 54
3.7.4. Difficulties...................................................................................................... 57
3.8. Qualitative data analysis ............................................................................................ 58
3.9. Quantitative data analysis: ......................................................................................... 58
3.9.1. Factor analysis ................................................................................................ 59
3.9.2. Multilevel modelling ...................................................................................... 62
3.10. Ethical issues ........................................................................................................... 68
IV
3.11. Summary ................................................................................................................. 68
Chapter 4. Results of Student Questionnaires ...................................................................... 69
4.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 69
4.2. Descriptive statistics .................................................................................................. 69
4.2.1. Demographic information about participants................................................. 69
4.2.2. Participants’ responses to the scale items ...................................................... 73
4.2.3. Using Statistical Software Programmes ......................................................... 75
4.2.4. Using Activities in Statistics Courses ............................................................ 76
4.3. Exploratory Data Analysis ........................................................................................ 76
4.3.1. English Language: .......................................................................................... 78
4.3.2. Using Technology: ......................................................................................... 88
4.3.3. Effectiveness of Teachers: ............................................................................. 98
4.3.4. Relevance of Course: ................................................................................... 100
4.3.5. Student Engagement: ................................................................................... 101
4.4. Multilevel Modelling ............................................................................................... 104
4.5. Factor Analysis ........................................................................................................ 107
4.6. Open-ended Questions ............................................................................................ 121
Chapter 5. Results of staff interviews ................................................................................ 127
5.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 127
5.2. Summary of staff responses question by question .................................................. 129
5.3. Themes .................................................................................................................... 153
5.3.1. The lack of students’ motivation to learn statistics ...................................... 154
5.3.2. Students' participation .................................................................................. 155
5.3.3. Students’ assessment .................................................................................... 155
5.3.4. The use of technology .................................................................................. 155
5.3.5. The level of previous maths and statistics of non-specialist students .......... 156
5.3.6. The English language ability of non-specialist students .............................. 157
5.3.7. The need for extra time ................................................................................ 157
5.3.8. The constraints of administrators ................................................................. 158
Chapter 6. Discussion ........................................................................................................ 159
6.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 159
6.2. Mathematics level of non-specialist students .......................................................... 160
6.3. Students’ engagement .............................................................................................. 162
6.4. The relevance of Statistics courses .......................................................................... 165
6.5. The implications of teachers and their teaching approaches ................................... 166
V
6.6. The implications of technology in learning and teaching statistics ......................... 169
6.7. The implications of English language ability in learning and teaching statistics.... 173
6.8. Summary ................................................................................................................. 174
6.8.1. Question 1: How are statistics courses for non-specialist students taught
currently in Saudi universities?................................................................................... 174
6.8.2. Question 2: What are the main challenges that face those teaching statistics to
non-specialist students in Saudi universities and how have these have been
overcome? ................................................................................................................... 175
Question 3: What are the main challenges that face non-specialist students learning
statistics in Saudi universities and how have these have been overcome? ................. 175
6.8.3. Question 4: How could teaching practice in Saudi Arabia be enhanced to
reflect appropriate developments in the rest of the world in teaching statistics to non-
specialists? .................................................................................................................. 176
6.9. Recommendations ................................................................................................... 177
6.10. Limitations of the study ......................................................................................... 179
6.11. Suggestion for future research ............................................................................... 180
6.12. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 181
References .......................................................................................................................... 183
Appendix A. Information letter for students ...................................................................... 199
Appendix B. Students questionnaire ................................................................................. 201
Appendix C. Information letter for students (Arabic) ....................................................... 207
Appendix D. Students questionnaire (Arabic) ................................................................... 209
Appendix E. Information letter for teachers ...................................................................... 215
Appendix F. Consent form for teachers ............................................................................ 217
Appendix G. Teachers interviews questions...................................................................... 217
Appendix H. Information letter for teachers (Arabic) ....................................................... 220
Appendix I. Consent form for teachers (Arabic).............................................................. 222
Appendix J. Teachers interviews questions (Arabic) ....................................................... 223
Appendix K. Box plot of questions scores for participants from different academic
departments 224
............................................................................................................................................ 224

VI
List of Tables
Table 3-1 Details of Universities in Eastern Region ........................................................... 52
Table 3-2 The Sample Sizes of Teachers of Statistics .......................................................... 53
Table 3-3 The Sample Sizes of Participants ......................................................................... 55
Table 3-4 The Explanatory Variables .................................................................................. 67
Table 4-1 The Demographic Information on Participants .................................................. 70
Table 4-2 English Language Abilities of Participants ......................................................... 71
Table 4-3 Frequencies, Medians and Standard Deviation of Non-specialist Students’
Responses to Items in the Questionnaire ............................................................................. 74
Table 4-4 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to Using Statistical Software Programs and
which Programs are used .................................................................................................... 75
Table 4-5 Frequencies of Responses to Activities that are Used ......................................... 76
Table 4-6 Chi-square test for Group of English Language items versus Predictor Variables
.............................................................................................................................................. 79
Table 4-7 Cross-tabulation reQ36 versus universities ........................................................ 80
Table 4-8 Crosse-tabulation reQ37 versus colleges ............................................................ 81
Table 4-9 Cross-tabulation reQ34 versus Hours of study ................................................... 84
Table 4-10 Crosse-tabulation reQ37 versus Number of statistics courses .......................... 85
Table 4-11 Cross-tabulation reQ34 versus Sex of Respondents .......................................... 86
Table 4-12 Cross-tabulation reQ37 versus Students’ Level of Study .................................. 87
Table 4-13 Chi-square test for Group of Technology items versus independent variables . 89
Table 4-14 Cross-tabulation Q29 versus universities .......................................................... 90
Table 4-15 Cross-tabulation Q26 versus Colleges .............................................................. 91
Table 4-16 Cross-tabulation Q29 versus Hours of study..................................................... 94
Table 4-17 Cross-tabulation Q29 versus Number of statistics courses ............................... 95
Table 4-18 Cross-tabulation reQ28 versus Sex of Respondents .......................................... 96
Table 4-19 Cross-tabulation reQ27 versus Students’ Level of Study .................................. 97
Table 4-20 Chi-square test for Group of Teacher items versus independent variables ...... 99
Table 4-21 Cross-tabulation Q17 versus universities .......................................................... 99
Table 4-22 Chi-square test for Group of Relevance items versus independent variables . 101
Table 4-23 Cross-tabulation Q12 versus universities ........................................................ 101
Table 4-24 Chi-square test for Group of Engagement items versus independent variables
............................................................................................................................................ 102
Table 4-25 Cross-tabulation Q32 versus universities ........................................................ 102
VII
Table 4-26 Cross-tabulation Q32 versus colleges ............................................................. 103
Table 4-27 AIC and BIC Values for Simple Logistic Models in Questions 26 and 36 ...... 106
Table 4-28 AIC and BIC Values for Logistic Models with variables in Questions 26 and 36
............................................................................................................................................ 106
Table 4-29 KMO and Bartlett's Test .................................................................................. 107
Table 4-30 Anti-Image Correlation Matrix ....................................................................... 109
Table 4-31 Communalities ................................................................................................. 110
Table 4-32 Total Variance Explained ................................................................................ 111
Table 4-33 Rotated Component Matrix.............................................................................. 112
Table 4-34 Correlation of Factor Five’s Variables ........................................................... 114
Table 4-35 Cronbach’s Alpha of Factors .......................................................................... 115
Table 4-36 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to the Important Things that Helped the
Students in Learning of Statistics ....................................................................................... 121
Table 4-37 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to the Important Things that Hindered the
Students in the Learning of Statistics ................................................................................. 122
Table 4-38 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to the statistics courses they have studied
at another university .......................................................................................................... 123
Table 4-39 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to the Most Important Challenges They
Have Faced in Learning Statistics ..................................................................................... 123
Table 4-40 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to What Non-specialist Students Would
Like to Change About Statistics Courses ........................................................................... 124
Table 4-41 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to the Desire of Students to Study Another
Statistics Course ................................................................................................................. 125
Table 4-42 Frequencies of Students’ Responses to the Reasons of Students’ Desire to Study
another Statistics Course ................................................................................................... 126
Table 5-1 The Syllabus of Statistics Courses ..................................................................... 128
Table 5-2 The main subject of Teachers ............................................................................ 129
Table 5-3 The Highest Qualification of Teachers in Statistics .......................................... 130
Table 5-4 The Experience of Teachers in Teaching Statistics ........................................... 130

VIII