The Importance Of Quantitative And Descriptive Statistics In TESOL Education Essay Sample

TESOL is an important qualification for international students of English who have an interest in teaching English, or in studying abroad. While I do not personally have any experience with TESOL and the way statistics works with TESOL to create meaning, because I am just a student. I understand that it is important to all professionals working with TESOL.
Quantitative and Correlative research is important to TESOL education because it describes certain trends or behaviors that we see, and works to explain them. This is important because it helps teachers understand how best to help students, and what teaching methods are most effective with in their classroom.
As a TESOL instructor, teachers should be prepared to use statistics to discover things about their own students and to try to make their teaching methods more effective. Often teachers then publish the things they have studied and statistically proven in their own classrooms with other teachers, by publishing their findings in journals. This not only lets others learn from their research, but can also work to repeat the statistical research, to see if the trend is true in all classrooms.
Something to keep in mind when trying to gather descriptive statistics, however, is that there is a specific method that must be followed. This makes sure that the evidence that is collected, or that the finding that come from the statistics, are as accurate as possible. Anything that can affect the outcome, like outliers and assumptions must be described in the procedure, and the way in which the statistics are collected should try to minimize the risk or error whenever possible.
One important way that a TESOL instructor could use descriptive statistics is to compare two ways of teaching the same concept. For example, if he was teaching vocabulary, he could use method A to teach the first group of students and method B to teach the second group of students and then use statistics to determine which method was most effective.
It is important to be able to explain, however, every aspect of the statistical research. A TESOL instructor who carries out a statistical analysis of her students, like the one above, needs to be able to explain how data was collected, and what statistical treatment they used to get their results. They should also be able to explain what the results are relevant, with regard to their research question or thesis. They should also be able to describe and account for unexpected complication or events and possible errors in the study.
As I advance professionally, I hope to have more opportunities to work with Quantitative and Descriptive Statistics, and to apply them to my future works. I know that they will be essential in both understanding how my students learn, and how I can improve my technique and in sharing my work with my peers.