This report is based on an activity completed by 89 Grade 6 students carrying out a statistical investigation with a focus on posing an initial question given a context and then refining it for a chosen data set. Having reached a conclusion based on evidence from their data analysis, students were given additional information on the context and…

The authors analyzed the development of 4th-grade students' understanding of the transition from experimental relative frequencies of outcomes to theoretical probabilities with a focus on the foundational statistical concepts of variation and expectation. After observing the decreasing variation from the theoretical probability as the sample size…

Developing statistical literacy for older school students includes recognizing and interpreting conditional statements in the media. Data on couples' success in predicting whether their partners have cheated provides a motivating context for teachers to lead their students through this process.

This article compares the definition of "box plot" as used in the "Australian Curriculum: Mathematics" with other definitions used in the education community; describes the difficulties students experience when dealing with box plots; and discusses the elaboration that is necessary to enable teachers to develop the knowledge…

This study presents the results of a partial credit Rasch analysis of in-depth interview data exploring statistical understanding of 73 school students in 6 contextual settings. The use of Rasch analysis allowed the exploration of a single underlying variable across contexts, which included probability sampling, representation of temperature…

Reports on a study designed to provide baseline data in the area of conjunction and conditional events. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses revealed improvement with grade in expressing probability numerically and distinguishing conditional events, but no change in incidence of conjunction errors. (Author/MM)

A magazine article is shown to contain material that could lead to discussions of several topics in mathematics. The article and the related mathematics are discussed in detail. (MP)

A series of 13 survey questions based on a 50-50 spinner is used to explore school students' understanding of statistical variation in a chance setting. Five questions set the context by assessing understanding of theoretical expectation and representation of repeated trials in a stacked dot (line) plot. Four questions provide opportunity to…

Some examples of typical nonrelevant textbook problems on probability are followed by more complex problems pulled from the real world. The resource used in this report is Newsweek magazine; and is used to help demonstrate that from the very beginning, lessons on conditional probability can have relevance. (MP)

A series of 13 survey questions based on a 50-50 spinner is used to explore school students' understanding of statistical variation in a chance setting. Five questions set the context by assessing the understanding of theoretical expectation and representation of repeated trials in a stacked dot (line) plot. Four questions provide opportunity to…

Presents examples to illustrate how conditional probability statements can be used to introduce conditional probabilities, how early applications can be found in sports data, and how conditional probability can be related to data collection and presentation in two-way tables. (MKR)

Presents an instrument designed as a profile of teacher achievement and teacher needs with regard to the probability and statistics strands in the mathematics curriculum. Discusses uses for the instrument and further development possibilities. (MM)