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This is a session of Topic 6: Research in Statistics education             Full topic list

(Monday 3rd, 16:00-18:00)

Research on probabilistic reasoning and thinking

Organiser

• Michel Henry (France)

Abstract

Today, children built a certain familiarity with chance and probability in our developed societies. But how do they understand the links between both types of random situations:

• created with basic random generators such as dice, spinners, coins or urns, or
• coming across their own everyday life and in statistical reality?

During numerous years, probability teaching was based on simple and artificial situations of equiprobability and was almost reduced to a favourable cases counting. In an increasing number of countries this approach of probability is changing to a more experimental and frequentist view. Computers allow an experimental environment where, by means of simulations, children can act on the parameters which structure random situations. They can observe the duality of probability through numerical experiences. This duality founds the essence of stochastic thinking and leads to statistical applications. That supposes a real understanding of the difference between the random part of a real situation, as a random sampling, and the probabilistic models more or less suitable to control it.

If probability in education must be more and more considered as a theoretical tool to describe a random reality, we have to develop new research on the epistemological status and the didactical role of probabilistic models in simulation and problem solving: in which basic situations or problems can a model be enlightening and useful? What kind of theoretical tools (sample space, random variables, parameters, urn models, laws) must be introduced? In which didactical situations and at which school levels?

In this session, different presentations will focus on these questions which involve a strong development of research on the modelling process in education.

Papers

Paper	Title	Presenter(s) / Author(s)
6B1	Elementary school students’ informal and intuitive conceptions of probability and distribution	Sibel Kazak (United States) Jere Confrey
6B2	An exploratory study of students’ difficulties with random variables	Blanca R Ruiz Hernández (Mexico) José Armando Albert Huerta (Mexico) Carmen Batanero (Spain)
6B3	Using experimental approaches for teaching probability: working on a project using face to face and virtual sessions	Cileda de Queiroz e Silva Coutinho (Brazil)
6B4	Using data, student experiences and collaboration in developing probabilistic reasoning at the introductory tertiary level	Helen Louise MacGillivray (Australia)