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Article published In: ITL - International Journal of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 168:1 (2017) ► pp.4–32

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The development of statistical literacy in applied linguistics graduate students

 | Erzincan University
 | Michigan State University
 | Georgetown University
Published online: 5 October 2017
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/itl.168.1.01gon
Abstract
Statistics play an important role in analyzing data in applied linguistics research. Given the increase over time in the field’s reliance on quantitative analysis (Brown, J. D. (2004). Resources on quantitative/statistical research for applied linguists. Second Language Research, 20(4), 372–393. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Gass, S. (2009). A survey of SLA research. In W. Ritchie, & T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 3–28). Bingley: Emerald.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), statistical literacy is critical for both producers and consumers of L2 research. Although there has been some investigation into statistical literacy among applied linguists, no research to date has examined how such literacy is obtained by masters and doctoral students in the field. The present study investigated the development of statistical literacy in a sample of such students taking semester-long discipline-specific quantitative research methods courses. Participants completed a pre-course and post-course survey. The results indicate that participants increased their knowledge of basic descriptive statistics and common inferential statistics to a great extent. Furthermore, participants reported that they felt more confident interpreting and using statistics. Based on these findings, recommendations for improving methodological practices and graduate training in our field are provided.
Article outline
  • The development of statistical literacy in Applied Linguistics graduate students
  • The state of the art
  • Methodological quality in applied linguistics
  • Statistical literacy in applied linguistics
  • Method
    • Participants
    • Statistics courses
    • Instrument
    • Procedure
    • Analysis
  • Results
  • Discussion and conclusions
  • Note
  • References
References (45)
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