Teaching statistics to social science students: Making it valuable

Abstract

In this age of rapid information expansion and technology, statistics is playing an
ever increasing role in education, particularly also in the training of social scientists.
Statistics enables the social scientist to obtain a quantitative awareness of socioeconomic
phenomena hence is essential in their training. Statistics, however, is
becoming increasingly problematic in its influence on the lives of social science
students. Has statistics education of social science students evolved in order to keep
pace with changes in modern society? This article examines the common trends in
teaching statistics to social science students and then makes some suggestions that
would potentially increase the social science graduate's appreciation for the power
of statistics in their profession.

South African Journal of Higher Education Vol. 20(4) 2006: pp.503-514