Treffer: Florence Nightingale, Statistician: Implications for Teachers of Educational Research.

This paper presents an overview of Florence Nightingale's statistical background and accomplishments; discusses Victorian statistics, Nightingale's education and statistical contributions; and concludes with implications for professors and students of educational research. Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), the first woman elected as a fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, was a well-trained statistician. In common with many of her contemporaries in the social sciences, Nightingale believed that there were laws governing (or describing) human behavior and that statistical data analysis would reveal these laws. Her accomplishments in the field of statistics included calculating mortality statistics in the Crimean War, inventing "coxcombs" or polar area charts, developing statistical records for hospitals, writing an impact study in relation to the possible removal of St. Thomas' Hospital, collecting census data from hospital statistics, developing a questionnaire for the Colonial Office to collect data from the colonies, and collecting data about the effects of incarceration upon future criminal behavior. Nightingale also worked in the areas of qualitative research and descriptive statistics, and she used her research and data behind the scenes to effect legislative changes. Since the majority of students in introductory educational research and statistics courses are women, the inclusion of Florence Nightingale in the history of statistics would provide a female role model. References and a bibliography are appended. (PN)