Problems and Possibilities with Teaching Introductory Statistics to Social Scientists

As undergraduates, many social scientists take only one introductory course in statistics, and this paper concentrates mainly on the various issues involved in teaching such a course. Among the topics discussed are: the aims of the course; the problem of students’ varying mathematical backgrounds and abilities, and in particular the very low level of mathematics of a significant number of them; the question of a common course for all social sciences, and the differing needs of the various subjects; who should teach introductory statistics; the problem of developing students’ motivation to study statistics; the use of practical work; the possibilities of the computer; the utility of programmed texts and teaching machines. The intention of the paper is to provide a framework for the seminar by a broad review of the topics, a number of which are discussed in detail in subsequent sessions.