Error Analysis in Basic Statistics

Abstract

“Error analysis in Basic Statics at Lorma Colleges”, San Fernando City, La Union, Philippines. June 2016.

Authors: BALINO, JOVENCIO T. and NABANALAN, GRACE G., faculty members of Lorma Colleges, La Union, Philippines. June 2016. In 2005, Gallup conducted a poll that asked US teen students to name the school subject that they considered to be the most difficult. Not surprisingly, mathematics came out on top of the difficulty chart. Mathematics is viewed as a difficult subject not only in the US but in the Philippines too. The study was undertaken to determine the common errors of college students in solving mathematical problems specially in Statistics at Lorma Colleges. The respondents were first year college students of Lorma Colleges who are enrolled in Basic Statistics.

The descriptive qualitative research was used in the study. There were 150 students who actively joined the study for the second semester of school year 2015-2016. Pen and paper examinations were the major mode of categorization of scores and errors. Statistical tools were used to analyze data that were gathered and to answer the questions under investigation. For problem 1, frequency count and mean were used to determine the level of performance in Basic Statistics. For problem 2, the Newman Error Analysis Tool (1977) was used to identify the errors and error categories of the students. Frequency counts and averages were used to determine the error categories of the students. The study found out that the students had poor performance in Basic Statistics, particularly on Normal Curve. Mathematising or putting things into numbers and comprehension were the major error categories of the students. Reading, processing and encoding errors were the minor error categories. The research concluded that the first year college students have not yet fully mastered the desired skills in Basic Statistics. Particularly, the students had a hard time understanding the topic “Normal Curve” and its parts and features. In addition, the students cannot successfully finish all the stages of problem solving. It is then recommended that teachers in Statistics give more attention and weight on mathematising and comprehension of numbers specifically on subjects like the “Normal Curve” and “Problem solving”.

Keywords: Error Analysis, Statistics, Mathematics Comprehension