PERSPECTIVE OF STUDENTS ON IMPACT OF STATISTICAL SOFTWARE IN PRACTICAL TEACHING OF STATISTICS STUDENTS IN NIGERIA POLYTECHNIC: A CASE STUDY OF STATISTICS DEPARTMENT, THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC OFFA

This study examined the impact of statistical software on the practical teaching of Statistics students in Nigerian polytechnics, focusing on the Statistics Department of Federal Polytechnic Offa. The objectives were to determine the types of statistical software currently utilized in the department; examine students' preference between using automatic buttons or code/syntax for operations, and investigate students' perceived impact of statistical software in understanding of Statistics. A survey research design was employed, and data were collected through a structured questionnaire administered to students in the department. Descriptive statistics, mean item scores, and a one-sample t-test were used to analyze the data. The results showed that most students (59.1%) had experience with at least one statistical software, with SPSS being the most commonly used. A significant majority (84.1%) preferred the ease of automatic buttons over coding/syntax, although 71.2% expressed openness to trying other software. Findings revealed that students generally have a positive perception on the impact of statistical software in understanding Statistics. The hypothesis testing further showed that statistical software significantly impacts students' understanding of Statistics (t = 2.635; p < 0.05). Based on these findings, the study recommends encouraging more practical courses, training students in coding operations for adaptability, providing resources like software licenses, and supporting instructors in delivering effective teaching using different statistical software