This paper is from Session 2A: Learning to reason with statistical models and modeling at the school level (Part 1)
which comes under Topic 2: Statistics education at the school level
Paper 2A3 (Wednesday 11th, 11:00-12:30)
Model Comparisons as a means of providing an informal quantitative estimation for statistical uncertainty
Presenter
- Michal Dvir (University of Haifa, Israel)
Co-author
- Dani Ben-Zvi (The University of Haifa, Israel)
Abstract
Abstract: A statistical inquiry is at its core the process of correlating between two worlds: the real world in which the actual phenomenon is observed, and a theoretical one, probabilistic in nature, affording different types of possible explanations – statistical models that can represent the phenomenon. The objective of this study is to investigate young learners’ informal statistical reasoning and the role model comparisons play as part of it. Specifically, we focus here on comparisons that occur as young learners investigate probabilistic questions that emerge while conducting a real world statistical investigation. We offer two illustrative examples showcasing how a specific type of model comparison was associated with young learners’ informal attempts to quantify their levels of uncertainty. Theoretical and practical implications are suggested in conclusion.