This paper discusses various cases, stories, and examples involving the use of statistics that can add excitement to an introductory statistics course. Teaching statistics as a mathematics course does not work for students interested in careers in business and accounting. What is needed, the...

Probability and statistics are powerful weapons that can help people make good decisions, but that can also be used to wreak havoc. This paper is the first in a series designed to provide examples to students of how statistics can be used and misused to mislead the public and result in poor...

Evidence is mounting that the United States is losing its edge as a world leader when it comes to educating its citizens. It now ranks 13th in college graduation rates. In a recent 24-country Survey of Adult Skills, the U.S. ranked 16th in literary proficiency and 21st in numeracy proficiency....

Business is a very popular major today. Numerous articles have been written attacking the business major claiming that it is not rigorous enough and does not teach what it purports to do, especially in areas such as ethics. This paper discusses some of the issues with business as a major and...

A study was conducted to determine whether different importance rating scales would produce different results. Two different degree-of-importance scales were used to measure the importance of 12 factors in deciding where to work and 14 factors in deciding where to go to college. One scale, a...

A study was conducted to determine whether different overall evaluation rating scales would produce different results. Six different rating scales were used to measure three stimuli (the respondents' college, the Governor of New York State, and the quality of the current season's television...

A significant portion of research relies on surveys that employ rating scales. It is thus very important to ensure that the rating scale as a measuring instrument is both reliable and valid. Unfortunately, there are many ways that a rating scale can be biased. The current study investigates the...

A study was conducted with 175 college students to determine whether different overall satisfaction and interest rating scales would produce different results. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group answered questions with the following descriptors for the rating scale:...

The government is spending a great deal of money in an effort to improve the completion rate of college students. So far, despite vast amounts of money spent, the six-year completion rate is a dismal 54%. This paper examines various solutions to this problem as well as how to reduce the great...

The purpose of this article is to propose that we focus the teaching of the introductory statistics course not merely on the statistical tools to be studied, but on the scientific thinking that they engender. Students must be taught that science is based on the testing of theories and shown how...