An Investigation of the Predictors of Statistical Literacy in Second Language Acquisition

Year 2018, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 49 - 70, 15.03.2018

Talip Gönülal

https://doi.org/10.32601/ejal.460631

Cited By: 4

Abstract

 The use of statistics in second language acquisition (SLA) research has increased over the past 30-40 years and continues to increase in both complexity and sophistication (Gass, 2009; Loewen & Gass, 2009). The increased use of statistical procedures has drawn attention to the current state of statistical literacy among second language (L2) researchers. Statistical literacy is a critical skill to acquire on the parts of both the producers and consumers of L2 research. However, it is a relatively new research topic in the field. So, little is known regarding what factors play key roles in the development of statistical literacy. Therefore, this study attempted to investigate the predictors of statistical literacy in SLA. One hundred and twenty SLA doctoral students took a statistical background questionnaire and a discipline-specific statistics survey. A series of multiple regression analyses were conducted on the statistics survey data. The results indicated that number of statistics courses taken, quantitative research orientation, and self-training in statistics were the significant predictors of statistical literacy. In light of the findings of this study, several suggestions directed toward improving statistical literacy in the field of SLA were made. 

Keywords

Statistical literacy; statistical training; quantitative research orientation; SLA

References

• Aiken, L. S., West, S. G., & Millsap, R. E. (2008). Doctoral training in statistics, measurement, and methodology in psychology: Replication and extension of Aiken, West, Sechrest, and Reno's (1990) survey of PhD programs in North America. American Psychologist, 63(1), 32-50.
• Allison, P. D. (1999). Multiple regression: A primer. Pine Forge Press.
• Capraro, R. M., & Thompson, B. (2008). The educational researcher defined: What will future researchers be trained to do? The Journal of Educational Research, 101(4), 247-253.
• Creswell, J. W., & Clark, V. L. P. (2011). Designing and conducting mixed methods research. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.
• Dauzat, S. V., & Dauzat, J. (1977). Literacy: In quest of a definition. Convergence, 10(1), 37-41.
• Estrada, A., Batanero, C., & Lancaster, S. (2011). Teachers’ attitudes towards statistics. In C. Batanero, G. Burrill, C. Reading & A. Rossman (Eds.), Teaching statistics in school mathematics - Challenges for teaching and teacher education (pp. 163-174). The Netherlands: Springer.
• Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. London: SAGE.
• Gal, I. (2002). Adults’ statistical literacy: Meanings, components, responsibilities. International Statistical Review, 70(1), 1-25.
• Gass, S. (2009). A survey of SLA research. In W. Ritchie & T. Bhatia (Eds.), Handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 3–28). Bingley, UK: Emerald.
• Golinski, C., & Cribbie, R. A. (2009). The expanding role of quantitative methodologists in advancing psychology. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 50(2), 83-90.
• Gonulal, T. (under review). Investigating the statistical knowledge and training of doctoral students in second language acquisition. The Modern Language Journal.
• Gonulal, T., Loewen, S.., & Plonsky, L. (2017). The development of statistical literacy in applied linguistics graduate students. ITL – International Journal of Applied Linguistics, 168(1), 4-32.
• Henson, R. K., Hull, D. M., & Williams, C. S. (2010). Methodology in our education research culture toward a stronger collective quantitative proficiency. Educational Researcher, 39(3), 229-240.
• Jeon, E. H. (2015). Multiple regression. In L. Plonsky (Ed), Advancing quantitative methods in second language research. New York: Routledge.
• Kirsch, I., Jungeblut, A., Jenkins, L., & Kolstad, A. (1993). Adult literacy in America: A first look at the results of the National Adult Literacy Survey. Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
• Kline, P. (1999). The handbook of psychological testing. London: Routledge.
• Larson-Hall, J. (2015). A guide to doing statistics in second language research using SPSS and R (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
• Lazaraton, A., Riggenbach, H., & Ediger, A. (1987). Forming a discipline: Applied linguists’ literacy in research methodology and statistics. TESOL Quarterly, 21, 263–277.
• Loewen, S., Ballard, L., Crowther, D., Gonulal, T., Isbell, D. R., Lim, J., Maloney, J., & Tigchelaar, M. (under review). How statistically literate are SLA and applied linguistics researchers? Data from North America and Europe. Studies in Second Language Acquisition.
• Loewen, S., & Gass, S. (2009). Research timeline: The use of statistics in L2 acquisition research. Language Teaching, 42(2), 181-196.
• Loewen, S., & Gonulal, T. (2015). Exploratory factor analysis and principal components analysis. In Plonsky, L. (Ed), Advancing quantitative methods in second language research. New York: Routledge.
• Loewen, S., Lavolette, E., Spino, L. A., Papi, M., Schmidtke, J., Sterling, S., & Wolff, D. (2014). Statistical literacy among applied linguists and second language acquisition researchers. TESOL Quarterly, 48(2), 360-388.
• Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2015). Second language research: Methodology and design. New York: Routledge.
• Norris, J. M., Ross, S. J., & Schoonen, R. (2015). Improving second language quantitative research. Language Learning, 65(S1), 1-8.
• Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2003). Modeling statistics achievement among graduate students. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 63(6), 1020-1038.
• Plonsky, L. (2013). Study quality in SLA: An assessment of designs, analyses, and reporting practices in quantitative L2 research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 35, 655–687.
• Plonsky, L. (2014). Study quality in quantitative L2 research (1990–2010): A methodological synthesis and call for reform. The Modern Language Journal, 98(1), 450-470.
• Plonsky, L. (Ed.) (2015). Advancing quantitative methods in second language research. New York: Routledge.
• Plonsky, L., & Gonulal, T. (2015). Methodological synthesis in quantitative L2 research: A review of reviews and a case study of exploratory factor analysis. Language Learning, 65, (S1), 9-36.
• Rossen, E., & Oakland, T. (2008). Graduate preparation in research methods: The current status of APA-accredited professional programs in psychology. Training and Education in Professional Psychology, 2(1), 42.
• Roever, C., & Phakiti, A. (2018). Quantitative methods for second language research: A problem-solving approach. London: Routledge.
• Schield, M. (1999). Statistical literacy: Thinking critically about statistics. Of Significance, 1(1), 15-20.
• Schield, M. (2004). Statistical literacy and liberal education at Augsburg College. Peer Review, 6, 16-18. Retrieved from www.StatLit.org/pdf/2004SchieldAACU.pdf.
• Tabachnick, B., & Fidell, L. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education.
• Thomas, M. (2013). The doctorate in second language acquisition: An institutional history. Linguistic Approaches to Bilingualism, 3(4), 509-531.
• Thompson, A., Li, S., White, B., Loewen, S., & Gass, S. (2012). Preparing the future professoriate in second language acquisition. Working Theories for Teaching Assistant Development, 137-167.
• Wallman, K. K. (1993). Enhancing statistical literacy: Enriching our society. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 88(421), 1-8.
• Watson, J. (1997). Assessing statistical thinking using the media. In I. Gal & J. Garfield (Eds.), The assessment challenge in statistics education. Amsterdam: IOS Press.
• Winke, P. (2014). Testing hypotheses about language learning using structural equation modeling. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 34, 102-122.