On teaching about descriptive statistics in criminal justice: Mean, variance, and standard deviation

Abstract

The principles relevant to descriptive statistics differ both intuitively and statistically from the principles relevant to inferential statistics. Pedagogically, however, these principles are often taught in an interspersed fashion. This approach may confuse students. As they struggle to learn the principles of descriptive statistics, and before these principles have been mastered, the principles of inferential statistics are often overlaid. This overlay weakens students' frequently uneasy grasp on the principles of descriptive statistics. The purpose of this article is to develop a pedagogy of descriptive statistics clearly differentiated from inferential statistics. Emphasis is on bringing the students' intuitions into line with what descriptive statistics provide. © 1999, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.