How Students Learn Statistics Revisited: A Current Review of Research on Teaching and Learning Statistics

This paper provides an overview of current research on teaching and learning statistics, summarizing studies that have been conducted by researchers from different disciplines and focused on students at all levels. The review is organized by general research questions addressed, and suggests what can be learned from the results of each of these questions. The implications of the research are described in terms of eight principles for learning statistics from Garfield (1995) which are revisited in the light of results from current studies.     

Evolution of Statistics in India

This is a brief history of the evolution of official and academic Statistics in India which focuses mainly on the period 1930 to 1960 but traces its origins in antiquity and recent history. We also comment on how Statistics has continued to evolve since the 1960's. This is a history of both institutions and people, who built and shaped them, and of ideas.     

Official Statistics,Globalization and World Democracy—A Challenge?

Official statistics is facing new challenges, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This requires, among other things, further input of statistical methods. The interaction with statistical research becomes crucial. Due to globalization, international organisations have to play a major role in the development of official statistics. The ISI should also play an important role in seeking to achieve a comprehensive approach to statistical science.     

Measurement and its Uses: Harmonization and Quality in Social Statistics

The European construction has induced a strong demand of harmonization of statistics of the various countries. The latter can be focused on an harmonization of outputs , already practised for a long time by national accountants: the statistical variables are defined in common, then each country measures them according to its own means. On the other hand, the harmonization of inputs, more ambitious, seeks a standardization of all the construction process and data collection. This leads to distinguish clearly the two moments of use and of production of economic and social statistics. Now the same distinction is made in the debates over the notion of quality of statistics, which contrast the quality of the product with the one of the process. This quality cannot be judged independently from the expected uses of these statistics and of their form of social credibility. From this point of view, the various harmonization levels are compared with the various forms of connection and convertibility between the national currencies.     

Why are Statistics Pre‐eminent in the Efficient Operation of Financial Markets?

Efficient financial markets require accurate and trusted statistical information. Otherwise they will rely on anecdotes, rumour and possibly information that is deliberately distributed to distort markets. This will lead to markets being volatile and/or inefficient.
In this paper, I will focus on what the ABS does to provide accurate, trusted information. It complements the work the IMF has been promoting for the last six years through its Special Data Dissemination Standard (SSDS).     

Impact of Karl Pearson's Work on Statistical Developments in India

Karl Pearson's work greatly inspired P. C. Mahalanobis's interest in statistics, who was at the centre of modern statistical developments in India. Mahalanobis learned statistics on his own, reading Pearson's articles and his journal, and encouraged others to study Pearson's papers. Pearson was a Honorary Fellow of the Indian Statistical Institute, which has been a leading statistical training and research center in India. The statistical revolution that Pearson brought also facilitated the training and research of many Indian statisticians.     

The Current Position of Statistics: A Personal View

Some current aspects of statistical work are reviewed under three broad headings, applied probability modelling, design of investigations and statistical analysis and interpretation of data. The emphasis is on applications in science and science-based technology, although some incidental comments are made about statistics in public affairs. While no technical details are given, there is some discussion of potential fields for development. The choice of topics reflects the author's personal interests.     

我国政府在科技创新体系中的地位和作用

从＂科学技术是第一生产力＂意识的形成,到＂科教兴国＂基本国策的选择,再到建设创新型国家目标的确立,我国政府在科技创新体系中的地位和作用被不断强化。政府在科技创新体系中的主要角色：首先是公共管理者;其次在某些关键或者基础领域是科技活动的重要投资者;最后是科技创新产品的消费者。相应地,政府在科技创新体系中的职能主要有：管理、引导和监督职能;政府的投资职能;通过国家采购制度对科技创新产品的消费职能。     

Dominance Statistics: A Simulation Study on the d Statistic

Quality &; Quantity - Cliff (1993) has proposed the use of a measure of effect size alternative to traditionalmean differences: δ {? = Pr(xi1 &;gt; xj2) - Pr(xi1 &;lt; xj2)}which,...     

Extreme Value Theory and Statistics of Univariate Extremes: A Review

Statistical issues arising in modelling univariate extremes of a random sample have been successfully used in the most diverse fields, such as biometrics, finance, insurance and risk theory. Statistics of univariate extremes (SUE), the subject to be dealt with in this review paper, has recently faced a huge development, partially because rare events can have catastrophic consequences for human activities, through their impact on the natural and constructed environments. In the last decades, there has been a shift from the area of parametric SUE, based on probabilistic asymptotic results in extreme value theory, towards semi‐parametric approaches. After a brief reference to Gumbel's block methodology and more recent improvements in the parametric framework, we present an overview of the developments on the estimation of parameters of extreme events and on the testing of extreme value conditions under a semi‐parametric framework. We further discuss a few challenging topics in the area of SUE. © 2014 The Authors. International Statistical Review © 2014 International Statistical Institute     

从我国女性教育发展的历史沿革看现代女校建立的意义和女性教育特色

改革开放以来,我国涌现了不少女子院校,在办学过程中,各有其不同的办学特点。本文从女子教育的发展历程入手,对现代女子院校建立的意义和女性教育的特色问题,表述作者的思考。     

Applications of Statistics in the Field of General Insurance: An Overview

This is an expository paper on applications of statistics in the field of general insurance, also called non‐life insurance. Unlike life insurance where advanced statistical techniques have long been part of financial mathematics and actuarial applications, their use is only relatively recent in non‐life insurance. The business model of insurance companies, especially those active in non‐life insurance, has seen dramatic changes over the last 15 years. The aim of this paper is to convince the readers that especially today non‐life insurance is not only an exciting ground to apply existing modern statistical tools but also a fertile environment for new and challenging statistical developments. The activities of an insurance company can be viewed as an industrial process where data management and data analysis play a key role. That is why a fundamental understanding of data‐related issues (such as data quality, variability, analysis and correct interpretation) is so essential to the insurance business. These are exactly the tasks where professional statisticians excel. Also, a better understanding of the field of general insurance by statisticians will promote fruitful exchanges between actuaries and statisticians, thereby helping to bring actuarial and statistical professional societies closer to each other. Selected examples are used to cover the essential aspects of general insurance, and all of them are based on the author's experience. The paper concludes with some remarks on the role of statisticians working in general insurance.     

统计课程教学模式改革初探——统计方法在高职院校统计课教学中的应用

通过利用统计方法来进行高职院校统计课程的教学,使统计方法贯穿课程的始终,激发学生学习的兴趣,提高学生的动手能力和教学效果。     

Women at workequality versus inequality: barriers for advancing in the workplace

This study aimed at identifying the factors that working women in Cyprus are faced with which lead to experience discrimination, examining possible barriers that affect women's advancement and identifying organizational practices that assist them in achieving work–life balance. The data were collected by the distribution of a questionnaire, which was on a voluntary, anonymous and confidential basis and targeted women of four different occupational levels. Several barriers were identified, preventing them from advancement such as stereotypes, conflicting work and family obligations, lack of women role models and low levels of self-confidence. This research enhances women's awareness of the existence of gender discrimination at work and the barriers in their career advancement. It highlights the creation of company programs such as mentoring programs, refresher courses, flexible work hours and on-site childcare, which could help women in developing and advancing their careers as well as achieving work–life balance.     

The Citizens' Right to Information and the Duties of a Democratic State in Modern IT Environment in the Light of the UN Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and the ISI Declaration on Statistical Ethics

Modern information technologies, particularly the technology of very large data bases, Internet and modern mass media, have changed the processes of production, storage and dissemination of information. These technologies have a direct impact on the practical realization of citizens' rights to information. In democratic societies, in modern IT environment, information is produced and disseminated by many social and economic entities. Many producers and disseminators of information do not know or do not obey the criteria which should be met by any information delivered to the public. In this paper the advantages and the threats for the citizens' rights to information generated by the distribution and globalization of information processes in modern IT environment are discussed.
It seems that for the protection of the citizens' rights to information, there is the need for specification and codification of quality criteria and standards for information produced and disseminated with the use of modern IT. Official statistics may and should play an important and active role in defining those criteria and standards. Professional ethics of statisticians and of official statistics seems to be the proper basis for that. Ethical principles of statistics are formulated in two basic documents: The fundamental principles of official statistics adopted by the UN Statistical Commission in 1994 and the ISI Declaration on statistical ethics adopted by the ISI in 1985.     

Roles of Statistics in the Life Sciences

Quantitative methodologies have always been central in the life sciences, and some of these belong to the general area of statistics. Other methods of data analysis have their part to play, and it is of ongoing importance for the field of statistics to adapt to these developments.
Besides the role of statistical methods in generating new knowledge, there are also regulatory uses of statistics, particularly in drug registration and in environmental standard setting. These dual roles of statistical methods should not be confused.
Statistical data from official sources and elsewhere play important roles in the life sciences, and often necessitate very careful adherence to confidentiality.
The historical role of the ISI towards life sciences has been modulated by the existence of other international organizations in the area.     

Use of Statistics in the Monetary Policy of the Czech National Bank: The Case of a Country in Transition

In the presented text the authors judge the importance of statistics in the monetary policy of the Czech National Bank (CNB) over the course of the economic transformation process, with particular consideration of changing statistical needs and the possibilities and limits of statistical data exploitation in the monetary analyses. The importance of statistics lies on the level of collection and processing of statistical information and on the level of use of statistical methods to analyse data. Since the start of the 1990s the requirements for statistics were significantly influenced by monetary policy. In the period 1990–1997, monetary targeting was the primary influential factor. Since 1998, the monetary policy is influenced by inflation targeting. Statistical priorities switched from monetary data to economy and financial market data. Much progress has been made in the use of statistical methods for analysing data. Statistics available at present cover the CNB's standard monetary-policy requirements and are on par with those in developed countries. Its further development will reflect the standard changes taking place in the more advanced countries.     

高职数字媒体专业课程设计与教学改革探讨

本文根据＂基于工作过程＂的课程设置思想,从专业定位、课程设置、教学方式和教师培训等方面,对高职院校数字媒体专业的课程体系设计方法和教学改革方式进行了初步探索,旨在摸索数字媒体专业教学的规律和方法。     

Measuring the Diffusion of Information and Communication Technology in Society and its Effects: Canadian Experience

Statistics Canada has measured the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for close to 15 years in industry and more recently in households and it has developed a body of knowledge on the effects of the use of these technologies. While ICTs have long been used in manufacturing processes, the use of computers and networks, and a growing number of ways of accessing networks, are changing the way business is done and lives are led. This paper provides examples of ICT use in private and public institutions, in households, and by individuals. It goes on to illustrate the consequent development of electronic commerce and of other uses of the Internet and concludes with some implications for the development of official statistics in light of policy requirements.