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  2. EDU S012

Introduction to Statistics for Educational Research
EDU S012

Course Information

Description

The HOW: The S-012 experience engages us in building a supportive course community where we all learn from one another. In place of more traditional pre-work such as reading chapters or articles, we will instead use videos (filmed by the instructor specifically for this course) and interactive opportunities for practice as preparation for each class meeting. This will allow us to use our time together to explore statistical topics in a deeply engaged and participatory format. Throughout the course, we will focus not only on the methods themselves but on why and how their use can represent a powerful tool for enacting change. We will emphasize the summarizing and presentation of statistical results for multiple audiences. Our focus will be on understanding how to use and interpret the statistical procedures commonly used in quantitative research, to become both critical consumers and ethical producers of quantitative work.

The WHAT: This course covers the basic principles of elementary statistics, providing a good foundation for students intending to do further course work and research involving the use of statistical analyses. We will cover both continuous and categorical data analysis, with topics including: basic descriptive measures; comparisons between groups; hypothesis testing; correlation; and techniques for analyzing categorical data. There will be a heavy emphasis on applications of basic statistical concepts to a wide variety of problems encountered in educational and policy-related research. We will use Stata as our statistical software in this course. There will be multiple assignments -- some to be completed individually, some with a partner -- involving data analysis and reporting of research results, as well as a final project.

The MONDAY SECTION: While the whole class meets together on Tuesdays, students are also expected to attend one 75-minute smaller-group section led by a Teaching Fellow on Mondays. Final assignment of section times will not be done on my.harvard during enrollment, but rather will be coordinated by the teaching team after enrollment has occurred. 

Class Notes

Outside of lecture time students will be required to attend an additional session to be scheduled after enrollment begins. 

School Graduate School of Education
Credits 4
Cross Reg

Available for Harvard Cross Registration

Department Education
Course Component Regular Course
Instruction Mode In Person
Subject Education
Grading Basis HGSE Student Option (Letter Graded, Sat/Unsat)
Learning Goals This course will provide an introduction to the important concepts in statistics for the social sciences. The focus throughout the course will be on developing an understanding of the rationale, the correct interpretation, and the appropriate applications of some of the most commonly used statistical techniques. In addition, this course will provide students with a strong foundation in basic statistical reasoning that will help them in more advanced courses or on professional research teams. A major focus in the course is about how to present and communicate findings most effectively.
Career Focus This course focuses on applying basic concepts for using quantitative data in service of addressing social science research questions. It will provide practical experience in using statistical software for analyzing data from a variety of research studies. There will be lots of practice in interpreting results and in preparing accurate written reports. This course provides an important foundation for those who will be interested in more advanced courses in statistics and in working as part of a research team.