From Screen to Classroom: Connecting Media and Statistics in Engineering Education

Within first-cycle engineering education, statistics is often perceived by students as abstract and disconnected from real-world applications. This perception can hinder motivation and limit the ability to transfer statistical reasoning to decision-making in professional contexts. Innovative approaches that connect statistical concepts to students’ everyday experiences are therefore needed. This project investigates the use of media-based tasks—specifically, the identification of short excerpts from films or series—as a strategy to explore how students recognize and interpret statistical reasoning in informal contexts. Situating learning in cultural narratives aims to promote awareness of the ubiquity of statistics and its relevance beyond the classroom.

This qualitative study, in its initial phase, is implemented in the Applied Statistics course of two first-cycle degrees: Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Electronics and Computer Engineering. Students work in small groups of up to four members, with around 50 groups expected. Each group completes a structured sheet describing a selected excerpt, identifying the statistical topic illustrated, and justifying their choice. These documents constitute the primary qualitative dataset and are analysed thematically using inductive coding to capture how students interpret and contextualize statistical reasoning. To complement these insights, all participants also complete a short questionnaire assessing their perceptions of the learning process, providing quantitative indicators of engagement and perceived value.

Preliminary results are expected to show the diversity of statistical concepts identified and how these are framed as meaningful to decision-making. The analysis should highlight how informal, narrative-based contexts foster engagement, support knowledge transfer, and enhance recognition of statistics as a tool for understanding complex situations.