THE STATUS OF REFORM IN STATISTICS EDUCATION: A FOCUS ON THE INTRODUCTORY COURSE

For almost two decades, the statistics education community has been actively focused on reform, particularly regarding introductory statistics. Reform is intended to improve student learning outcomes, and in general, this approach is guided by the constructivist philosophy, and emphasizes the use of active learning and student-centered strategies, so as to foster statistical literacy. Nonetheless, formal assessment data on the effectiveness of reform efforts are lacking. As well, there is no recognized consensus on acceptable measures and indicators, in this regard. This paper presents the results of a qualitative systematic review of literature on statistics education, and concludes that the discipline must urgently heed a call for change toward a more organized and scientific approach to measurement, research, and setting of priorities