The Development and Factor Structure of the Faculty Perceptions of Statistics (FPS) Scale
Keywords:
attitudes toward statistics, hierarchical cluster analysis, factor structure, scale developmentAbstract
The purpose of this study is to introduce the Faculty
Perceptions of Statistics (FPS) scale, report on clusters associated with
the inventory, and provide analytical comparisons of sum scores based
on demographics. Items on the FPS scale refer to numerous facets of
statistics such as the use of statistics in teaching and scholarship. A
larger version of the FPS scale was administered online at seven
universities and colleges to 747 participants. This research reports on a
preliminary validation of the FPS scale to measure attitudes of college
faculty towards the statistics discipline based on hierarchical cluster
analysis with n=674 participants who completed all items. Seven
clusters within the FPS scale were utilized: Comfort, General Teaching,
Expectations, Statistical Literacy, Scholarship, Effective Teaching, and
Benefits. The Cronbach’s alpha values for the individual clusters ranged
from 0.58 to 0.92. This article also highlights numerous results of the
data collected by cluster based on participant demographics, such as
discipline and previous statistical experience.
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Copyright (c) 2016 Laura Taylor, Kirsten Doehler, Jessalyn Smith
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