Uses and abuses of statistical significance tests and other statistical resources: a comparative study

The empirical study we present here deals with a pedagogical issue that has not been thoroughly explored up until now in our field. Previous empirical studies in other sectors have identified the opinions of researchers about this topic, showing that completely unacceptable interpretations have been made of significance tests and other statistical resources. We tried to show the degree to which these errors of interpretation appear in a sample of university professors and researchers. To evaluate the beliefs and opinions of the university professors about certain methodological and statistical questions, we adapted the "Psychometrics Group Instrument" questionnaire by Mittag (1999) and Mittag and Thompson (Educational Researcher 29:14-20, 2000). We specifically wanted to detect opinions about: (1) avoiding inappropriate interpretations, (2) rectifying incorrect uses, (3) creating a debate on possible alternatives, and (4) proposing editorial changes in the publication criteria. In this study, we compare the results we obtained with those obtained by two other equivalent studies (Gordon, Journal of Vocational Educational Research 26:1-18, 2001; Mittag and Thompson, Educational Researcher 29:14-20, 2000). The characteristics of the sample and the scope of the results are described, and a critical reflection is carried out on typical misunderstandings in interpretation that show a worrisome lack of understanding of some basic methodological and statistical concepts.     

Drop-outs from Swiss Universities: an empirical analysis of data on all students between 1975 and 2008

This study presents in-depth empirical analyses of drop-outs from all Swiss universities for the entire student population between 1975 and 2008. The results show that most identifiable factors associated with a greater or lesser probability of dropping out are identical to those found in a recent Systematic Review (Larsen et al., 2013). The main findings are that: first, since the 1970s, there has been a marked trend towards falling drop-out rates which is largely due to female students who, today, have lower drop-out rates than their male counterparts; secondly, not only are there different drop-out rates for specific subjects of study, but there are also differences in baccalaureate profiles, which indicates that the skills acquired prior to entering university have a great impact on successful study; thirdly, students who change their first subject choice are at great risk of dropping out. No firm conclusions can yet be drawn about the Bologna reform but, based on the subjects which changed to the Bachelor/Master system between 2001 and 2003, no reduction in drop-out rates can be found as a result of the reform.     

Environmental education (EE) policy and content of the contemporary (2009–2017) Mexican national curriculum for primary schools

In Mexico a reformed curriculum is being implemented at the national primary level focused on the competence model and incorporating EE as a key element. This article reports our analyses of what theories, policies and/or EE related-contents were included in the documents that integrated this curriculum: general study plan, study programs of Grades and official students’ textbooks. Results indicate that in those official documents was incorporated a competence related to EE called ‘competences for the coexistence’, implying harmonic relationships with others and the nature. Additionally, EE for sustainability was included as a transversal topic expecting that contributes to reach the graduate profile of basic education that indicates that students should promote and assume the care of health and the environment. Nevertheless, it is not clear how it is expected that teachers implement EE in practice, lacking clarity of the environmental theory that support this curriculum.