Promoting research and research reporting in statistics education: The SERJ experience

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Promoting research and research reporting in
statistics education The SERJ experience
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• SERJ Statistics Education Research Journal
• Co-editors
• Iddo Gal, University of Haifa, Israel
• (iddo_at_research.haifa.ac.il)
• and
• Flavia Jolliffe, University of Kent, UK
• (F.Jolliffe_at_kent.ac.uk)

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About SERJ

• SERJ is the journal of the International
  Association for Statistical Association (IASE).
• A peer-reviewed electronic journal.
• The first to focus on advancing research-based
  knowledge that can help to improve the teaching,
  learning, and understanding of statistics or
  probability at all educational levels and in both
  formal and informal contexts.
• Access is free at www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/serj

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Some history of SERJ

• SERJ grew out of the Statistics Education
  Research Newsletter (SERN)
• Initial discussions re changing SERN to SERJ in
  Summer 2001
• First issue published May 2002. Fairly similar to
  SERN as contained material planned for
  publication in SERN.

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History continued

• December 2002
• Became a joint publication of ISI and IASE.
• Second issue published, included four refereed
  papers.
• May 2003
• First paper in Spanish published.
• November 2003
• Sections more appropriate to a newsletter dropped

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Key paper types

• Reports of original research
• - Quantitative / qualitative
• (up to 8000-10,000 words)
• - Brief papers (2500 words)
• Conceptual papers, e.g.,
• - Integrative critical reviews of research
• literature
• - Research-oriented theoretical models or
• epistemological analyses
• - Methodological issues in research
• assessment

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Statistics education research

• Might examine, e.g. cognitive, motivational,
  attitudinal, curricular, teaching-related,
  technology-based, organizational, or societal
  factors and processes that are related to the
  development and understanding of stochastic
  knowledge.
• Might also focus on how people use or apply
  statistical and probabilistic information and
  ideas.

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Special issues of SERJ

• November 2004 on research on reasoning about
  variation and variability.
• November 2006 on research on learning and
  reasoning about distributions.
• Deadline for submissions November 1, 2005.
• Send letter of intent or queries to Iddo Gal,
  iddo_at_research.haifa.ac.il

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Papers in latest issue May 2005

• Effect of Calculator Technology on Student
  Achievement in an Introductory Statistics Course
• (Linda Collins and Kathleen Mittag)
• Factor Structure of the Attitudes Toward
  Research Scale
• (Elena C. Papanastasiou)

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May 2005 issue (cont.) Special section -
reasoning about variation

• Variation Talks Articulating Meaning in
  Statistics
• (Katie Makar and Jere Confrey)
• Exploring Students Conceptions of the Standard
  Deviation
• (Bob delMas and Yan Liu)
• A Framework for Teaching and Assessing Reasoning
  about Variability (invited paper)
• (Dani Ben-Zvi and Joan Garfield)
• Thinking Tools and Variation (invited paper)
• (Maxine Pfannkuch)

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Refereeing process of SERJ

• Papers are submitted to a named co-editor.
• The paper is given an initial screening, possibly
  in consultation with the other co-editor.
• If suitable to be refereed it is sent to an
  associate editor.
• The associate editor sends it in a blinded form
  to two or more external referees.
• The co-editor collates the associate editors and
  the referees reports and sends the decision to
  the author with further comments.

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Submissions which are not refereed

• Papers which do not contain any statistics
  education research, e.g. papers suggesting
  methods for teaching a topic but with no
  description of relevant (classroom) research,
  papers on mathematical statistics.
• gtgt Author is reminded of the types of paper
  which SERJ publishes. A more suitable journal for
  publication might be suggested.

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Initial problems with submissions 1

• Papers with some potential for publication in
  SERJ but clearly needing substantial revision,
  e.g. contain insufficient details of the
  research, discussion too weak, style is poor.
• gtgt Authors sent detailed comments and
  suggestions for improving the paper, and are
  encouraged to resubmit (if paper salvageable).
• (We see part of SERJs role as training
  less experienced researchers both in doing and in
  writing up research.)

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Initial problems with submissions 2

• Technical issues Papers which appear to be in
  line with aims of SERJ, but are not in the
  required format, e.g., 2-column layout.
• gtgt Author is asked to resubmit in the
  required format and pointed to the template and
  guides for authors on the SERJ web page.

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Initial problems with submissions 3

• The paper is in line with the aims of SERJ, but
  it is thought that it might have been published
  elsewhere.
• gtgt Authors are asked to confirm that the paper
  has not already been published if they have not
  stated this on submission. SERJ policy is that
  papers which have been published in any form,
  including on the Internet or in conference
  proceedings are not accepted for consideration.
  This restriction does not apply to expanded
  conference papers.

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Refereeing decisions

• Accept
• (at most simple or editorial changes)
• Accept with minor revisions
• (revised paper seen by editorial team
  only)
• Rewrite and resubmit
• (major revision required, further stages
• of refereeing)
• Reject

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Papers acceptable for SERJ

• Relevant to SERJ aims, and of high quality
• 1. Original worthy contribution to knowledge/
  literature
• 2. Rational flow of information ideas,
  justifications
• Scientific background gt goals/ questions/
  hypotheses gt method gt results gt discussion,
  limitations, implications
• 3. Writing clear, concise, logical, responsible
  balance, relevant references (APA guidelines)
• 4. Presentation / organization (author guidelines)

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Typical problems research reports

• Goals/questions - known or none
• - too broad, too
  narrow
• Lit review too broad/unfocused/brief,
  inadequate
• Method - poor research design
• - too little/too much/confusing
  details about
• approach context
• respondents
• instruments/tasks
• procedure
• analysis

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Typical problems 2

• Results - wrong analysis
• - data without purpose,
  irrelevant
• Discussion
• - poor link back to goals/questions,
  literature
• - doesnt explain its contribution
• - no limitations
• - no implications (to literature known
• models, teaching, assessment, future
• research,)
• Bibliography - missing, incorrect form, does not
  match references in text

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Tips for authors 1

• Planning the paper
• Reflect on Storyline, contribution, research
  goals/questions.
• Summarize Research questions, key findings,
  key conclusions.
• Check Author guidelines, SERJ template, prior
  issues of SERJ.
• Write Results, method, implications,
  scientific background,

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Tips for authors 2

• Before submitting
• Review- refine- get feedback- check fit to
  guidelines (template!)- blind text- letter to
  editor.
• Managing the revision re-submission cycle
• Evaluate editorial comments--Think--Revise.
• Re-submit with detailed letter to editor
  (what/how revised, justify cases where comments
  not accepted).