DEVELOPING YOUNG STUDENTS’
INFORMAL
INFERENCE SKILLS IN DATA
ANALYSIS
efi
paparistodemou
European
University Cyprus
e.paparistodemou@euc.ac.cy
MARIA
MELETIOU-MAVROTHERIS
European
University Cyprus
m.mavrotheris@euc.ac.cy
Abstract
This paper focuses on developing students’ informal inference skills,
reporting on how a group of third grade students formulated and evaluated
data-based inferences using the dynamic statistics data-visualization
environment TinkerPlotsTM (Konold
&Miller, 2005), software specifically designed to meet the learning needs
of students in the early grades. Children analyzed collected data using TinkerPlots as an investigation tool, and made a
presentation of their findings to the whole school. Findings from the study
support the view that statistics instruction can promote the development of
learners’ inferential reasoning at an early age, through an informal, data-based
approach. They also suggest that the use of dynamic statistics software has the
potential to enhance statistics instruction by making inferential reasoning accessible
to young learners.
Keywords: Statistics
education research, Elementary education, TinkerPlots,
Informal statistical inference
__________________________
Statistics
Education Research Journal, 7(2), 83-106, http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/serj
Ó International
Association for Statistical Education (IASE/ISI), May, 2008
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EFI PAPARISTODEMOU
2003