An Analysis of the Statistical Content in Textbooks for Prospective Elementary Teachers

Abstract

We analyzed the statistical content within mathematics textbooks used in courses for preparing elementary teachers. Six textbooks commonly used in the United States comprised our sample. Each task in statistical sections was analyzed using both the levels of the GAISE framework (Franklin et al. 2007) and phases of the statistical problem solving process (Formulate Questions, Collect Data, Analyze Data, and Interpret Results). Tasks within the Analyze Data phase were also classified as creating or reading a display, performing a mathematical computation, or using statistical reasoning beyond mathematical computations. The majority of statistical tasks in each book required data analysis. Two textbooks primarily consisted of tasks addressing statistical concepts beyond computations, while three series focused on graphical displays and computational procedures.

The Statistical Content of Elementary School Mathematics Textbooks

“…According to Doyle (1983Doyle ( , 1988, academic tasks are individual questions, exercises, or problems that students are asked to complete. For our study, we used the term task to refer to the smallest marked division in a set of problems or exercises that referred to statistical content, which agrees with the definition of a task used by Jones and Jacobbe (2014). A single task may be a numbered exercise, or a labeled portion of an exercise (i.e., part A and part B would be two separate tasks).…”

“…Because most curriculum standards address the Analyze Data phase, we created four codes for Analysis Activities that could be incorporated within these tasks. These are based on the categories for the nature of Analyze Data tasks used by Jones and Jacobbe (2014). (See examples in Table 3.)…”

Teachers and Textbooks: On Statistical Definitions in Senior Secondary Mathematics

“…For those instructors, the textbook is often their major source for learning the material they are teaching. (p. 4) This means that the "textbook curriculum" is having a significant influence on the "teacher implemented curriculum" and teachers are deferring authority to the textbook rather than the discipline (Jones and Jacobbe 2014). In summary, the new Australian Senior Secondary Curriculum: Mathematics contains new topics in statistics that many mathematics teachers may feel unprepared to teach, and one reason for this unpreparedness may be that the teachers do not understand, and are unfamiliar with, the language of statistics.…”

Ortaokul Matematik Ders Kitaplarında Yer Alan Veri İşlemeye Yönelik Görevlerin İncelenmesi

“…Tablo 5). Çıkarımda bulunma veriye dayalı olarak yorum yapmaktır(Jones ve Jacobbe, 2014). Bir görev öğrenciden sunulan veya öğrencinin oluşturduğu temsildeki verileri okuyup bir tespitte bulunduktan sonra belirlenen durumun sebeplerini/sonuçlarını yorumlamasını istiyorsa görev çıkarım yapmayı gerektiren bir bileşen olarak değerlendirilmiştir.…”

“…Eğer ders kitabı mevcut durumun sonucuna yönelik yapılmasını istediği tahmin ya da yorumu öğrenciye bırakmış ise bu durum genel çıkarım olarak tanımlanmıştır. Sonuç çıkarmanın diğer önemli bir bileşeni ise tahminde bulunmadır(Jones ve Jacobbe, 2014). Eğer görev öğrenciden veriye dayalı olarak ileriye dönük tahmin(ler)de bulunmasını istiyorsa, bu görev tahminde bulunmayı gerektiren bir alt bileşen olarak değerlendirilmiştir.…”