The Use of Statistical Software in Undergraduate Methods Instruction

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Abstract

In this paper, we assess one aspect of undergraduate methods education in political science: the use and adoption of statistical programs and packages in that education. Increasingly, graduates of college programs, including those in political science, are expected by employers to have basic data literacy and manipulation skills, including the ability to conduct statistical analyses and manipulate data using a statistical package or software of some sort. As a result, instructors of undergraduate methods and statistics courses are faced with the question of whether they should integrate statistical software or packages into their courses. In addition, instructors are faced with an ever-growing list of statistical programs and packages to select from.
 
We present the findings from a novel survey of political science methods instructors in colleges and universities in the US. We first provide an overview of undergraduate methods education in political science, focusing on the extent to which methods instructors integrate statistical programs and packages into their undergraduate statistics and methods courses. Second, we test three major explanations – resources, instructor beliefs about statistical software, and administrative/structural reasons – for understanding why some faculty are more likely than others to integrate statistical software into their courses. Third, we assess instructors’ experiences with using statistical programs and software – both their experiences and evaluations of particular software and their experiences at integrating such software into their courses. Finally, we identify common considerations guiding faculty members' decisions about which statistical package to integrate into their course. We conclude with recommendations for both instructors interested in adopting software and for future avenues of research.

Authors

• Clinton Jenkins, Birmingham-Southern College

• Susan L. Wiley, George Washington University