Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking Study
Many social science research students struggle to master statistical data analysis and exhibit low ability in using statistical software tools. The current study tackles the possibility that the design of statistical software systems explains the difficulty that students encounter when conducting st...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education |
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| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26939169.2025.2497550 |
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| author | Sedigheh Abbasnasab Sardareh Gavin T. L. Brown Paul Denny |
| author_facet | Sedigheh Abbasnasab Sardareh Gavin T. L. Brown Paul Denny |
| author_sort | Sedigheh Abbasnasab Sardareh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many social science research students struggle to master statistical data analysis and exhibit low ability in using statistical software tools. The current study tackles the possibility that the design of statistical software systems explains the difficulty that students encounter when conducting statistical data analysis. An eye-tracking experiment randomly assigned 24 students to either SPSS or jamovi software to complete a linear regression task so as to evaluate the usability of the two systems. Upon task completion, each participant “thought aloud” as they watched a video of their own eye-tracked performance. Performance quality was better in jamovi compared to SPSS in terms of speed, fixation counts, and gaze duration. Heat maps of gaze time and location showed that in jamovi, the more restricted range of functions supported success compared to the many options provided in SPSS menus. Thematically analyzed think-alouds confirmed that design features such as simple menus and automatic display of results contributed to successful problem-solving by these novices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e4af062d564f4b07afb0d34c4bc7a172 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2693-9169 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education |
| spelling | doaj-art-e4af062d564f4b07afb0d34c4bc7a1722025-08-20T03:23:42ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Statistics and Data Science Education2693-91692025-06-0111510.1080/26939169.2025.2497550Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking StudySedigheh Abbasnasab Sardareh0Gavin T. L. Brown1Paul Denny2School of Learning, Development, and Professional Practice, Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New ZealandSchool of Learning, Development, and Professional Practice, Faculty of Education and Social Work, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New ZealandSchool of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New ZealandMany social science research students struggle to master statistical data analysis and exhibit low ability in using statistical software tools. The current study tackles the possibility that the design of statistical software systems explains the difficulty that students encounter when conducting statistical data analysis. An eye-tracking experiment randomly assigned 24 students to either SPSS or jamovi software to complete a linear regression task so as to evaluate the usability of the two systems. Upon task completion, each participant “thought aloud” as they watched a video of their own eye-tracked performance. Performance quality was better in jamovi compared to SPSS in terms of speed, fixation counts, and gaze duration. Heat maps of gaze time and location showed that in jamovi, the more restricted range of functions supported success compared to the many options provided in SPSS menus. Thematically analyzed think-alouds confirmed that design features such as simple menus and automatic display of results contributed to successful problem-solving by these novices.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26939169.2025.2497550ExperimentIntroductory statisticsJamoviNovice statisticianSPSSStatistics education |
| spellingShingle | Sedigheh Abbasnasab Sardareh Gavin T. L. Brown Paul Denny Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking Study Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education Experiment Introductory statistics Jamovi Novice statistician SPSS Statistics education |
| title | Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking Study |
| title_full | Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking Study |
| title_fullStr | Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking Study |
| title_short | Statistical Software Usability for Novice Research Students in the Social Sciences: An Eye-Tracking Study |
| title_sort | statistical software usability for novice research students in the social sciences an eye tracking study |
| topic | Experiment Introductory statistics Jamovi Novice statistician SPSS Statistics education |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/26939169.2025.2497550 |
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