Approaching challenges in teaching learning process of statistics in psychology graduation courses: A didatic contract overlook

Abstract

Teaching concepts, competences and skills related to data analysis in Psychology graduation courses has proved to be a challenging issue. In the sphere of Mathematic skills, Statistics is indeed out of the scope of what is usually faced in the reminder of courses. The present work investigates features of the structure of the classroom in a course on Statistics from the Psychology graduation curriculum. For such purpose, we set the didactic contract as a theoretical guide, a “lunette” that allowed for observing the functional dynamics of the classroom, searching aspects that might be related to difficulties in the teaching-learning process. To enhance the analysis of the dynamics of the courses' performance, we carried out a comparative overview with a discipline having the usual structure characteristic from the Psychology graduation curriculum. This study is based not only on video-graphic registers of the classes, but in interviews with its professors as well. The compiled data was submitted to a clinical-interpretative analysis, pointing to several differentiation factors between the two disciplines, among them: classroom dynamics and evaluation systems. Specific to the Statistics course, important aspects appeared as negative interferences to the learning process, such as excessive manipulation of mathematical/statistical algorithms without the aid of informatics and computed data-processing. This study points to the importance of clarity in establishing a syllabus with respect to content, objectives, and structure of the statistics discipline in Psychology courses, in order to outline ways of didactic/pedagogical improvement for its offer...