Developing Data Sense: Making Inferences From Variability in Tsunamis at Primary School

Abstract

In order to study the manifestation of data sense and identify ways of thinking about variability in authentically realistic problems in a group of Chilean fifth-grade students, a lesson plan was designed and implemented, within the framework of statistical literacy and using the “lesson study” modality, in which students were urged to make inferences based on the analysis of data corresponding to the tsunami that struck the Chilean coast in 2010. This article focuses on the qualitative study of the data representations produced by two groups of students during the implementation of the lesson plan. The analysis of the behavior of the tsunami carried out by the students led them to work simultaneously with nominal qualitative, ordinal qualitative, discrete quantitative, and continuous quantitative variables; to create new variables; to construct representations of data (multiple bar graphs and frequency tables); and to make inferences based on the data. We conclude that the use of an authentic context and the construction of their own representations promoted data sense in students and facilitated the development of their statistical thinking, through which they were able to recognize, describe, and explain the variability of the phenomenon. Abstract: Spanish Con el propósito de estudiar la manifestación del sentido del dato e identificar las formas de razonar la variabilidad en problemas auténticamente realistas en un grupo de estudiantes chilenos de quinto grado de primaria, se diseñó e implementó un plan de clases, en el marco de alfabetización estadística y bajo la modalidad “lesson study”, en el que se instó a los estudiantes a hacer inferencias a partir del análisis de los datos correspondientes al tsunami que azotó la costa de Chile en 2010. Este artículo se centra en el estudio cualitativo de las representaciones de datos producidas por dos grupos de estudiantes durante la implementación del plan de clases. El análisis del comportamiento de los datos del tsunami realizado por los estudiantes los llevó a trabajar simultáneamente con variables cualitativas nominales, cualitativas ordinales, cuantitativas discretas y cuantitativas continuas; crear nuevas variables; elaborar representaciones de datos (gráfico de barras múltiples y tabla de frecuencias); y hacer inferencias basadas en los datos. Se concluye que el uso de un contexto auténtico y la construcción de representaciones propias, promovieron en los estudiantes el sentido del dato y facilitaron el desarrollo de su pensamiento estadístico, pudiendo reconocer, describir y explicar la variabilidad del fenómeno.

Exploring Informal Statistical Inference in Early Statistics: A Learning Trajectory for Third-Grade Students

“…The students exhibited a data sense as evidenced by the fact that when they solved the data-based problems, they understood how the data were obtained, they recognized the variation of data, they made predictions based on the behavior of the data, and they made judgements and informal statistical inferences on the basis of the data without performing calculations (cf. Estrella, 2018;Estrella et al, 2021).…”

Collective argumentation in elementary school: an experience of reasoning with data in an online open class

“…The task seeks to address the ability of argumentation by immersing students in a situation in which they must take a position when confronted with two antagonistic statements that encourage them to compare and analyse data represented in two dot plots. Thus, the task of the lesson allows the students to develop statistical reasoning and use contextual knowledge (Estrella et al. , 2021; Pfankuch, 2011) through the practice and acquisition of higher-order thinking skills, in particular, to argue, communicate and solve problems in a situation that requires interpreting and comparing two sets of data through dot plots.…”

Multidisciplinary Modelling in a Sixth-Grade Tsunami Investigation

“…Younger students have representational abilities that often remain hidden in research that typically targets older students and adults (diSessa & Sherrin, 2000). When students apply their disciplinary understanding in constructing and representing data in relation to a meaningful investigation, they are better able to appreciate the phenomenon of interest (Estrella et al, 2021;Lehrer & Schauble, 2007) and to detect trends in the data such as variation and covariation.…”