Beyond Math Skills: Measuring Quantitative Reasoning in Context

Autor/in	Grawe, Nathan D.
Titel	Beyond Math Skills: Measuring Quantitative Reasoning in Context
Quelle	In: New Directions for Institutional Research, (2011) 149, S.41-52 (12 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0271-0579
DOI	10.1002/ir.379
Schlagwörter	Statistical Significance; Critical Thinking; Mathematics Skills; Academic Aptitude; Mathematical Logic; Logical Thinking; Multiple Choice Tests + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Kritisches Denken; Mathmatics achievement; Mathematics ability; Mathematische Kompetenz; Mathematical logics; Mathematische Logik; Multiple choice examinations; Multiple-choice tests, Multiple-choice examinations; Multiple-Choice-Verfahren
Abstract	It might be argued that quantitative and qualitative analyses are merely two alternative reflections of an overarching critical thinking. For instance, just as instructors of numeracy warn their charges to consider the construction of variables, teachers of qualitative approaches caution students to define terms. Similarly, an advocate of quantitative reasoning (QR) who demands students eschew "weasel words" such as "many" and "few" in place of actual figures is mimicked by the humanist demanding that pupils demonstrate precision in language. These connections may be true at an abstract level, but QR requires specific skills not usually required by generic critical thinking. For example, QR necessitates an understanding of what statistical significance means and how it is distinct from practical significance or the ability to effectively communicate information through charts and tables. It is exactly this that motivates a growing literature teaching concepts specific to thinking critically with quantitative evidence. This article describes recent attempts to measure context-rich application of QR. Initial evidence suggests that teaching to explicitly stated learning goals--whether in the context of a limited cluster of courses or in offerings across the curriculum--can shape student aptitude. (Contains 1 note.) (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10