Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Guns And The Limits Of Numeracy: Review Of How America Got Its Guns: A History Of The Gun Violence Crisis, By William Briggs., Joel Best
Numeracy
William Briggs. 2017. How America Got Its Guns: A History of the Gun Violence Crisis; (Albuquerque, University of New Mexico Press). Paperback: ISBN 978-0-8263-5813-4. E-book ISBN 978-0-8263-5814-1.
Mathematician William Briggs (co-author of the well-regarded Understanding and Using Mathematics) has written a remarkably thorough and evenhanded analysis of gun policy in the United States that draws upon the work of historians, legal scholars, social scientists, and advocates. He gives respectful hearings to claims about the importance of both gun rights and gun control. The breadth of his coverage makes it almost certain that any reader will discover new angles …
Considering What Counts: Claims About Nearly-Ubiquitous Social Problems, Joel Best
Considering What Counts: Claims About Nearly-Ubiquitous Social Problems, Joel Best
Numeracy
Press coverage of a recent survey suggests that sexual harassment is nearly ubiquitous in the UK. Thinking critically about claims of nearly-ubiquitous social problems requires: (1) asking how the statistic was produced; (2) considering questions of measurement; and (3) recognizing that the the most severe forms that social problems take tend to be much less common than less serious forms
How To Lie With Coronavirus Statistics: Campbell's Law And Measuring The Effects Of Covid-19, Joel Best
How To Lie With Coronavirus Statistics: Campbell's Law And Measuring The Effects Of Covid-19, Joel Best
Numeracy
Campbell's Law warns that when measurements become consequential those whose performance is being measured may try to skew the results. This case study examines the Trump administration's efforts to present COVID-19 statistics that would discourage restricting economic activities and encourage reopening the economy.
Dubious Data And Difficult Conversations: Review Of No Bs (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe In Black People Enough Not To Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear About Black People, By Ivory A. Toldson., Joel Best
Numeracy
Ivory A. Toldson. 2019. No BS (Bad Stats): Black People Need People Who Believe in Black People Enough Not to Believe Every Bad Thing They Hear about Black People; (Boston, Brill). Paperback ISBN 978-90-04-39702-6. E-book ISBN 978-90-04-39704-0.
Ivory A. Toldson is a professor of Counseling Psychology at Howard University and the current editor-in-chief of the Journal of Negro Education (founded in 1932), and offers an unapologetic critique of how statistical malpractice has misrepresented the situation of Blacks in the United States. Readers of Numeracy should find his examples and analysis both interesting and thought-provoking.
Social Justice, Numeracy, And Teaching Statistics At A Community College, Edward Volchok
Social Justice, Numeracy, And Teaching Statistics At A Community College, Edward Volchok
Numeracy
The author of this article reflects on the issues of justice, democracy, and numeracy. As one who has taught statistics in a community college for over 12 years, spent 28 years as a Marketing Consultant, and holds a PhD in political science, the author’s thesis is that while an advanced, democratic society can only be just with a numerate citizenry, fostering numeracy is not easy. In this article the author describes the daunting tasks of trying to define what justice is and reviews activities from his statistics class that help students develop their numeracy.
Cancer Clusters In Delaware? How One Newspaper Turned Official Statistics Into News, Victor W. Perez, Joel Best, Rachel J. Bacon
Cancer Clusters In Delaware? How One Newspaper Turned Official Statistics Into News, Victor W. Perez, Joel Best, Rachel J. Bacon
Numeracy
The flagship newspaper for the state of Delaware, the News Journal, has been instrumental in disseminating information from state-generated reports of cancer clusters to its readers over the past 7 years. The stories provide colorful maps of census tracts designated as clusters, often on the front page, and detail the types of elevated cancers found in these tracts and the purported relationship of elevated cancer rates to local industry pollution. Though the News Journal also provided its readers with advice about interpreting these data with caution, it uncritically presented these data. Using the state’s unusual definition and measurement of …