Customer Reviews

Elementary Statistics (10th Edition) (MyStatLab Series)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am saddened to see the textbook community to mistake color, flash, graphics, and artifical examples as quality textbook. Although I understand they need to market, this book demonstrates the effect of marketing upon education.

My students complain that the text is difficult to read. Although I know they are new, I have to agree with their opinion. I sat and read the text -- and found it lacking respectable composition and clarity. I feel for my students and will not use the text again.

In addition, the examples are useless. They match the homework at the end of the chapter, but only "teach to the test". What's the point if the student don't learn methods on how to critically think and approach problems? Oh wow, they know what P(Z>1) is, but what do they know to do with it? Nothing!

Perhaps it is time for the educational community to produce their own compact books, customized to what students (and not publishers) need. I cannot recommend this book for anyone and would beg you to reconsider.

As an instructor who has taught college level Elementary Statistics from this text book 5 times, I would strongly recommend against this book. I spent most of my time working around this textbook, not with it. The students find the phrasing of the homework problems confusing. The objective of many of the homework problems is unclear. The interpretations of the statistical results that the author calls for require conjecture, not true reasoning skills. Additionally, the material is presented in a counterproductive order, the same one which most other elementary statistics texts follow. It isn't a smart way to present the material.

Two of the major problems with the content of this text: First, this text poorly explains the Central Limit Theorem, which is only the most important theorem in statistics. Second, the problems for small sample hypothesis tests of means with sigma unknown are contrived such that students would never learn that a p-value is measured from the 'tail' of the test (and therefore, can be greater than 0.5).

In short, this text is unclear and often unhelpful. Students who finish this class often only understand how to "take the exam" and never learn the concepts. I have had to supplement my class with my own sets of notes to accommodate the problems in this textbook. The text lacks global perspective on the material.

I regularly teach a course in basic statistics at the college level. In that capacity, I examined this book for possible adoption as the text for the course. In terms of the breadth of coverage, it is broader than most other texts. There are three chapters:

*) Nonparametric statistics
*) Statistical process control
*) Projects, procedures, perspectives

covering material not normally found in other texts. The depth of the coverage is also a little deeper than in most other texts, as a consequence the book is nearly 900 pages. Explanations of the topics are clear, diagrams are used when needed but not to excess. There are many exercises at the ends of the chapters, with solutions to the odds in an appendix.
The exercises at the end of the chapters are in several forms. They are:

*) Basic skills and concepts
*) Beyond the basics, with the subcategories
*) Review
*) Statistical literacy and critical thinking
*) Review exercises
*) Cumulative review exercises
*) Cooperative group activities
*) Technology project
*) Internet project

Each chapter starts with a basic question, some examples are:

*) Chapter 7 Estimates and sample size. Question: Does touch therapy work?
*) Chapter 8 Hypothesis testing. Question: What is the best way to go about finding a job?

There is also a statistics@work blurb at the end of each chapter. It is a one-page interview of a person who uses statistics in their job.
I was impressed with this book; there is no question in my mind that it would work very well in the statistics class that I teach. However, I am also satisfied with the book that I am using, so I will not be making the switch. While it is better than the book I am using now it is just not that much better to justify the change.

I bought the book because it's required for my statistics I class.
I found it lacking both breadth and depth. When a concept is confusing, there was no explanation (sometimes, the definition to the concept is confusing); there were formulas presented for a situation but not much explanation as to why. And when there was a topic there seem to be interesting, there was just a blurb and no more insights and references. I don't think it's worth keeping.

This was a rather expensive textbook that I got for very cheap. It was shipped promptly in great condition! I'm very happy with my purchase!

Got the book in the time as indicated. The book has all materials required for the class. Great service - thank you

The book was in the condition promised and arrived in a reasonable amount of time.

This book was for a elementary statistics class. This book to me was not easy to use. The examples where very hard to follow and didn't make sense most of the time. The book was used for a online stats class thank god my professor provided great notes and examples, cause if I had to just depend on this books examples I would have made a BIG FAT "F". The author should think about making this book more user friendly.

I purchased this book for a basic statistic course. It's easy to understand and the best way to get an idea of statistic without long formulas or derivations. Recommandable for basic and intermediate stat-classes!

Excellent, speedy delivery. At a APO address and still no issues. Will conduct business again in the future. Very satisfied with the product.