Teaching Statistics without Sadistics

Abstract

Social work students generally dread statistics courses, and social work educators appear to share this apprehension. This article describes five steps in a developmental research project designed to take the sadistics out of statistics. First, statistics anxiety is examined and identified as an educational problem. Second, instructional objectives and procedures to achieve them are identified. Third, methods and tools for evaluating the course are explored. Fourth and fifth, strategies for and obstacles to making widespread use of this approach are considered.