The Importance of Statistics in University Research Processes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63969/rgtt7645Keywords:
statistics, scientific research, university context, perception of knowledge, data analysisAbstract
The development of scientific research (SR) within the university context represents one of the fundamental pillars for the training of professionals, but above all for the generation of new knowledge or the verification of already developed knowledge or theories. Given the above, the objective of this research is to analyze the importance of statistics in university research processes from the perspective and level of knowledge of teachers, complemented by a review of recent literature. The methodology took a mixed, sequential, and explanatory approach, supported by the PRISMA method for qualitative analysis. For the quantitative analysis, a survey was administered to 76 randomly selected university teachers. Among the main findings of the review of 51 records, mainly from Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia, predominantly in the areas of education and social sciences, barriers such as statistical illiteracy, inappropriate choice of methodological approaches, and negative attitudes or rejection of the use of statistics were revealed. In relation to the survey, it was determined that statistics are essential for research in the university context; however, there is a weak practical command of them. In addition, they consider data analysis and interpretation to be one of the important stages. The software most used by teachers is Excel, which limits the possibility of performing advanced statistical analysis and, above all, high-quality IC that can be reproduced. This gives rise to the need for continuous institutional training that contributes to improving the validity and applicability of their results.
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