Language plays a crucial role in the classroom. The use of specialized language in a domain can cause a subject to seem more difficult to students than it actually is. When words that are part of everyday English are used differently in a domain, these words are said to have lexical ambiguity. Studies in other fields, such as mathematics and chemistry education, suggest that in order to help students learn vocabulary instructors should exploit the lexical ambiguity of the words. The study presented here is the second in a sequence of studies designed to understand the effects of and develop techniques for exploiting lexical ambiguities in statistics classrooms. In particular, this paper looks at five statistical terms and the meanings of these terms most commonly expressed by students at the end of an undergraduate statistics course.
Concept inventories, consisting of multiple-choice questions designed around common student misconceptions, are designed to reveal student thinking. However, students often have complex, heterogeneous ideas about scientific concepts. Constructed-response assessments, in which students must create their own answer, may better reveal students’ thinking, but are time- and resource-intensive to evaluate. This report describes the initial meeting of a National Science Foundation–funded cross-institutional collaboration of interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education researchers interested in exploring the use of automated text analysis to evaluate constructed-response assessments. Participants at the meeting shared existing work on lexical analysis and concept inventories, participated in technology demonstrations and workshops, and discussed research goals. We are seeking interested collaborators to join our research community.
Correct answer: B, percent correct: 69% 2. A person needs a dose of 0.5 mg of a drug. The drug comes in a liquid that has 2.5 mg per dL (deciliter). How many dL should a person take? A. 5 dL B. 2.5 dL C. 0.2 dL D. 1.25 dL E. 0.5 dL Correct answer: C, percent correct: 61% 3. A person who needs 30 prescription refills a year is picking a new drug plan.
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