Communicating the value of statistical thinking in research

In recent years much attention has been given to statistical literacy and to stimulating interest in statistical thinking and statistical reasoning. Statistical thinking is important for understanding the world around us and is in all but recognition the cornerstone of evidence-based research. Statistical reasoning is motivated by real-world problems, which in turn promote the use and development of statistical methods of enquiry. It is well known that many researchers from other disciplines find statistics challenging, and some do not appreciate the relevance of statistical enquiry. This paper gives examples of some of the teaching strategies that have been applied within the Lancaster Postgraduate Statistics Centre when teaching students from a range of disciplines and short courses for social and health scientists. Issues concerning course structure and methods of teaching will be discussed and several experimental innovations highlighted.