64th ISI World Statistics Congress - Ottawa, Canada

64th ISI World Statistics Congress - Ottawa, Canada

Alone or together? Work modality, self-efficacy, and accomplishment in problem-solving in probability theory and statistics

Author

SL
Sigal Levy

Co-author

Conference

64th ISI World Statistics Congress - Ottawa, Canada

Format: CPS Abstract

Keywords: learning

Session: CPS 16 - Teaching statistics II

Monday 17 July 4 p.m. - 5:25 p.m. (Canada/Eastern)

Abstract

Alone or together? Work modality, self-efficacy, and accomplishment in problem-solving in probability theory and statistics
Dr. Sigal Levy, Dr. Shulamit Geller and Dr. Yelena Stukalin
Collaborative learning is a field of knowledge stating that knowledge can be created and acquired collaboratively through social interaction in small groups. Research shows that learning in small groups is related to better learning outcomes and a positive impact on cognitive, meta-cognitive, emotional, motivational, and social aspects, as compared to individual learning. In this study, we aimed to test the effect of work modality (individual or in small groups) on self-efficacy and internalisation of the course material, within a framework of a basic undergraduate course in statistics for psychologists. This was tested on two separate occasions, relating to two different topics included in the course curriculum.
Our study population were first-year undergraduate students of psychology in a community college in Israel. While this course is considered crucial to their academic knowledge, it is often perceived by the students as difficult and even intimidating. In each trial, the students were asked to perform a task related to the current topic they were studying. The "Descriptive Statistics" task included defining and describing variables. Some students were asked to form groups of 4-5 students and do this together, while others were asked to compose a list of 10 people they knew and perform the task with reference to this group. The "Basic Probability" task included defining events and calculating probabilities, performed in the same manner – either within a group or in reference to an individual list each student composed. Following each task, the students were asked to complete a short quiz and to rate their self-efficacy on a 5-point Likert scale. The quiz was graded to yield a total score.
Results show that working in groups was related to better performance in the tasks. Furthermore, we found that self-efficacy moderated the relationship between work modality and quiz score in the Basic Probability task. Specifically, we found that students with lower self-efficacy benefit from group work, while the accomplishments of students with high self-efficacy are not affected by the work modality. These conclusions strengthen the need for "tailored" mode of learning among students with different perceptions of their abilities. Further research is called for regarding the conditions under which group work is beneficial, possibly among students from various fields of study.