Teaching Statistics With A Critical Pedagogy

After President Obama shifted the country’s focus from K-12 towards higher education, postsecondary schools found themselves under significant public, financial, and political pressure. To close the achievement gap and meet new standards of accountability, higher education institutions began looking for methods to increase student access and success. With a growing emphasis on degree completion and quantitative literacy, some researchers began to explore the use of critical pedagogies to better serve a more diverse population (Ukpokodu, 2011). This quantitative study measured the effectiveness of implementing a critical statistics pedagogy in an undergraduate introductory statistics classroom and its impact on course success, persistence, and mathematical empowerment. Data collected from four classes at a community college found the use of a critical pedagogy had a positive impact on students’ overall achievement, increased their awareness of social justice issues, and aided in the development of their critical voice.