In current curriculum materials for middle school students in the US, data and chance are considered as separate topics. They are then ideally brought together in the minds of high school or university students when they learn about statistical inference. In recent studies we have been attempting to build connections between data and chance in the…

Describes the use of computer graphics simulations to enhance student understanding of sampling distributions that arise in introductory statistics. Highlights include the distribution of sample proportions, the distribution of the difference of sample means, the distribution of the difference of sample proportions, and the distribution of sample…

Describes five statistical simulation programs developed at Wichita State University--Coin Flip and Raindrop, which demonstrate the binomial, Poisson, and other related distributions; Optimal Search; QSIM; and RANDEV, a random deviate generation program. Advantages of microcomputers over mainframes and the educational uses of models are noted.…

Many students doubt that statistical distributions are of practical value. Simulation makes it possible for students to tackle challenging, understandable projects that illustrate how distributions can be used to answer "what-if" questions of the type often posed by analysts. Course materials that have been developed over two years of classroom…