Teaching Introductory Quantitative Research Methods to Doctoral Students in Educational Leadership: Using Real Data to Improve Statistical Literacy

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to provide a deeper understanding of the quantitative research method experiences of educational leadership doctoral students and explore instructors’ perspectives on teaching the course through the specific pedagogical approach of using real secondary data. Survey data confirms students favorably support the use of real data in statistics courses, despite challenges to learning statistical software and time constraints that inhibit full engagement in the analyses. Qualitative data illustrates the affordances and constraints instructors face in teaching applied quantitative methods to educational leadership doctoral students.