Development of the Statistical Reasoning in Biology Concept Inventory (SRBCI)

Area of Science:

• Biology Education Research
• Quantitative Biology
• Science Education

Background:

• Statistical literacy is crucial for scientific understanding and general life skills.
• Non-expert statistical reasoning is prevalent, even post-instruction.
• Developing statistical reasoning is a key educational goal, progressing from novice to expert levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Statistical Reasoning in Biology Concept Inventory (SRBCI).
• To assess the robustness and sensitivity of the SRBCI in measuring student statistical reasoning ability.
• To provide a tool for diagnosing student conceptual understanding in biological statistics.

Main Methods:

• Designed a 12-item concept inventory (SRBCI) following best practices.
• Administered the SRBCI to biology students at a Canadian research university.
• Analyzed student responses using item response theory (IRT), specifically the one-parameter Rasch model.

Main Results:

• The SRBCI demonstrated unidimensionality, indicating a coherent measure of statistical reasoning.
• Items on the SRBCI varied significantly in difficulty, providing nuanced data.
• The inventory effectively captured useful information regarding students' conceptual ability in statistical reasoning.

Conclusions:

• The SRBCI is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing statistical reasoning in biology students.
• SRBCI can serve as a diagnostic tool in diverse biological contexts.
• The inventory can be used to evaluate the efficacy of pedagogical interventions aimed at enhancing statistical reasoning skills.