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American Sociological AssociationAugust 11, 2009

San Francisco, California

Organizer: William H. Frey

August 11, 2009

Teaching Quantitative Literacy in Introduction to

Sociology

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SSDAN Materials

• Find this presentation and other training resources at http://ssdan.net/training.html

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Outline• Quantitative Literacy

– Why is it important?

• Resources from the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN)– DataCounts! and WebCHIP– CensusScope

• Coming soon! (ICPSR and SSDAN Partnerships)– Assessment Materials– Digital Library (TeachingWithData.org)

• Resources from ICPSR’s Online Learning Center (OLC)– Learning Modules and Data

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Quantitative Literacy• Importance

– Students are participants in a democratic society– Skills include:

• Questioning the source of evidence in a stated point• Identifying gaps in information• Evaluating whether an argument is based on data or

opinion/inference/pure speculation• Using data to draw logical conclusions

• Student Comfort and Aptitude– Over 50% of early undergraduate students report

substantial “statistics anxiety”– Using only one or two learning modules has

yielded significant increases in students’ comfort• Solution: Introduce students to “real world”

data early and often

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Quantitative Literacy

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SSDAN: Background

• Started in 1995• University-based organization that creates

demographic media and makes U.S. census data accessible to policymakers, educators, the media, and informed citizens. – web sites– user guides – hands-on classroom

computer materials

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SSDAN• DataCounts!

(www.ssdan.net/datacounts)– Collection of approximately 85 Data-Driven

Learning Modules (DDLMs)– WebCHIP (simple contingency table software)– Datasets (repackaged decennial census and

American Community Survey)– Target is lower undergraduate courses

• CensusScope (www.CensusScope.org)– Maps, charts, and tables – Demographic data at local, region, and national

levels– Key indicators and trends back to 1960 for some

variables– Update coming this fall

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Quickly connects users to datasets…

..or Data Driven Learning Modules

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Menu for choosing a dataset for analysis

Brief List of available dataset collections

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WebCHIP Demonstration• Starting with a question

– Do immigrants who entered the U.S. recently earn less than those who entered decades ago? (How does the year of entry affect earnings for immigrants?)

– Does race make a difference?

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WebCHIP Demonstration• Using 2005 American Community

Survey data, we will look at the data set: workim05.dat

• This data set looks at full-time year-round civilian workers age 25+ for race, gender, age, immigration, education and earnings variables.

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• We will use an extract of the 2005 American Community Survey

• What would we expect to see in a table that answers the question?

Planning

Total

Total

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When immigrated

Ear

ning

s

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Planning

Native BornImmigration: Before

1990Immigration: 1990-

2005Total

Less $25,000

$25-34,999

$35-49,999

$50-69,999

$70-99,999

$100,000 and over

Total

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• Now that we’ve seen the variables and their categories, we know the table headers

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Percent-Across Table

Percent-Down Table

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One table for each control variable category (i.e. one table for each race)

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One graph will appear for each control variable category. Select “Next Graph” to view each chart.

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One graph for each control variable category (i.e. one table for each race)

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Quickly connects users to datasets…

..or Data Driven Learning Modules

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SSDAN: DataCounts!Submitting a module:•Sections are clearly laid out•Forces faculty to create modules with specific learning goals in mind.•Makes re-use of module much easier

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

TitleAuthor and Institution

Brief Description

Faceted browsing to refine the search

•Appropriate Grade Levels•Subjects (e.g. Family, Sexuality and Gender)•Learning Time

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SSDAN: DataCounts!

Data Driven Learning Modules are clearly laid out•Easy to read•Instructors can quickly identify whether a module would be relevant to a specific course

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SSDAN• DataCounts!

– Collection of approximately 85 Data Driven Learning Modules (DDLMs)

– WebCHIP (simple contingency table software)– Datasets (repackaged decennial census and

American Community Survey)– Target is lower undergraduate courses

• CensusScope– Maps, charts, and tables – Demographic data at local, region, and national

levels– Key indicators and trends back to 1960 for some

variables

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SSDAN: CensusScope

New ACS data with improved look & feel coming Fall 2009

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SSDAN: CensusScope• Charts, Trends,

and Tables• All available for

states, counties, and metropolitan areas

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SSDAN-OLC• SSDAN’s primary focus is to assist in

the dissemination of social data into the classroom with sites like DataCounts! and CensusScope

• Until recently, ICPSR primarily targeted researchers, the OLC now provides a welcomed Instructors’ portal to ICPSR resources and is continuing its outreach to educators

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Student Benefits:• Critical thinking skills• Increases students’ comfort with quantitative

reasoning• Many schools have focus on quantitative

literacy and related skills – ASA charge for exposure “early and often”

• Engages students with the discipline more fully – Better picture of how social scientists work– Prevents some of the feelings of “disconnect” between

substantive and technical courses

• Piques student interest• Opens the door to the world of data

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Looking Ahead

• Assessment Tools and Results

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Looking Ahead• TeachingWithData.org (October 2009)

– Social Science Pathway to the National Science Digital Library

– Virtual repository of resources to support the teaching of quantitative social sciences

• Data-Driven Learning Modules • Data Sources • Pedagogical Resources• Analysis and Visualization Tools• Other Resources useful to instructors

– Collaboration tools– Web 2.0 technologies

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Acknowledgements

• National Science Foundation• Inter-university Consortium for

Political and Social Research• Population Studies Center• Institute for Social Research• University of Michigan