BIOESTATÍSTICA: PORQUE, O QUE É COMO ENSINAR

Summary: A new approach to teach basic statistics to young researchers is proposed. It hypothesizes two main causes for the wel1 known "mathematical trauma": a) lack of basic mathematical concepts; b) failure to understand the mathematical language. Related ancillary concepts, presented just before use, are adequate to overcome these limitations. Even more important, is to show why and how statisticians develop a technique or equation. This approach was tested on a class composed of 25 graduate students. Before the course, a pretest was presented. The final evaluation included a similar test, and an anonymous questionnaire about the teacher and course. Analysis of these data revealed an improvement of knowledge in statistics and approval of the classes. Subjective factors and difficulties in extrapolating the validity of the experiment to other student group are recognized. Nevertheless, the results are sharp enough to suggest reproducibility in similar situations.

摘要：本文提出一种面向青年研究者的基础统计学教学新方法。该方法针对广为人知的“数学创伤”提出两大成因：其一为基础数学概念缺失，其二为未能理解数学语言。在使用前即时讲授相关辅助概念，足以克服上述局限。更为关键的是，需阐释统计学家开发某一技术或推导某一方程的动因与具体过程。该方法在由25名研究生组成的教学班中进行了测试。课程开始前开展了预测试，期末考核包含同类型测试以及一份关于授课教师与课程的匿名调查问卷。对上述数据的分析结果显示，受试者的统计学知识水平得到提升，且对课程表示认可。本研究承认存在主观因素，且难以将该实验的有效性外推至其他学生群体。尽管如此，本研究结果仍足够显著，足以表明该方法在类似场景下具备可复现性。