Introducing statistical computing — Evolution of the cognitive system of the novice user

Abstract

The project that is reported in this paper is a pilot study. The main goal is the development of a method to investigate real life situations in which novices receive an introduction to a computer system, determining the interrelations between:-characteristics of the student;-strategy and content of the course;-development of a model of the system in the student's mind. If this investigation takes place in an existing course the investigator is normally not allowed to interfere with the teaching method or with the curriculum. The investigation therefore will not have the character of an experiment, the testing of hypotheses will not be a central goal. A description the phenomena is the main result, the teaching strategy (and the subject matter of the course, the task domain for which the system is introduced) not being a variable in the individual study. The results of these sources may only be speculated upon, albeit that comparison with similar studies in the long run will result in clarity about the relations (Eason, 1983). The authors plan to repeat this study with a number of different institutions for other task domains.