Data Exchange Activities in a Large Introductory Statistics Class: Effects, Limitations, and Possibilities

This study examined the changes in undergraduate students' attitudes and performance associated with the introduction of activities characterized by data exchange between the lecturer and students in large (up to 100 students) classes of introductory statistics for psychology majors. Participants were 195 undergraduates enrolled in the class during 2 consecutive quarters. The data exchange activities provided a manageable amount of data to work with during lectures. Data-generation and demonstration activities were complemented with lecture group activities. Students preferred lecture activities to plain lectures, and liked activities involving exchange of data more than simple group activities. Students were positive toward group work during lectures, and this experience made students feel more at ease in asking questions during lectures. Group work and activities also helped increase performance on course examinations. The implications for the use of information technology in the large lecture room to reinforce activities based on the exchange of data are discussed. An appendix contains an example of a data generating activity. (Contains 5 tables and 29 references.) (SLD)