This paper is from Session 8E: Research on developing students’ probabilistic reasoning

which comes under Topic 8: Research in statistics education

Empirical research on understanding probability and related concepts — a review of vital issues

Presenter

• Manfred Borovcnik (University of Klagenfurt, Austria)

Abstract

The 2007 ASA report renewed the debate on qualitative vs. quantitative statistical methods in educational research and promoted the randomized controlled experiment (RCT) as standard. While quantitative methods have their value, the target of the two approaches is completely different and RCTs will not provide reliable evidence in cases when the researcher is interested in how students understand concepts and why some fail, or which teaching methods are helpful for whom. This paper focuses on issues for improving qualitative educational research. Task analysis is shown to be one major factor. In probability and statistics such an analysis is more basic than in other branches of mathematics as tasks are often – unintentionally and unnoticed – ambiguous.