The Relation between the Teaching of Mathematics and Statistics in the Republic of South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the relation between the teaching of Mathematics and the teaching of Statistics at high school level in the South African Context. The study also examines and analyses examples of statistical teaching situations from both a mathematical and a statistical perspective with view to reveal the links between the teaching of Mathematics and teaching of Statistics. A non-empirical method or conceptual method was followed to achieve the purposes of the study. The study reveals the cardinal links between the teaching of Mathematics and teaching of Statistics. Hence the call to educators to acknowledge the symbiosis to enhance the teaching and promote an awareness of the ways in which Statistics is presented and aligned in the South African Mathematics high school Curriculum. Keywords: teaching mathematics, teaching statistics, high school, South Africa context