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29 October 2021 Cats Teach Stats: An Interactive Module to Help Reduce Anxiety When Learning Statistics in Biology
Suann Yang, Jenny Hazlehurst, Darcy A. A. Taniguchi
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Abstract

Tools that teach quantitative skills and foster positive student attitudes toward these skills are important in biology curricula. Math and statistics anxiety is common and can interfere with student learning in biology courses. We describe a new framework for alleviating this anxiety. In our module, students watch a cute internet cat video, which inspires them to ask scientific questions about animal behavior and collect, analyze, and interpret data. We developed two freely available interactive tools to implement our module. We successfully implemented these tools with undergraduate students at two institutions. Based on this experience, we provide ideas for extension along with assessment.

Suann Yang, Jenny Hazlehurst, and Darcy A. A. Taniguchi "Cats Teach Stats: An Interactive Module to Help Reduce Anxiety When Learning Statistics in Biology," The American Biology Teacher 83(8), 542-544, (29 October 2021). https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2021.83.8.542
Published: 29 October 2021
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KEYWORDS
animal behavior
math anxiety
scientific inquiry
statistics anxiety
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