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Comparing Two Distributions: Investigating Secondary Teachers' Statistical Thinking

Author(s): Makar, K. & Confrey, J.
Editor(s): Phillips, B.

Type: Proceedings
Category: Research
Book Title: Proceedings of the sixth international conference on teaching statistics, Developing a statistically literate society
Pages: Online
Year: 2002
Publisher/Journal: International Statistical Institute

Abstract: This paper highlights the statistical thinking of teachers in analyzing their own students' high-stakes test data. The research here emphasizes the impact that an immersion model for teachers-doing statistics as statisticians-can provide in raising statistical content knowledge, engendering a mindset of inquiry, developing facility with technology, and enriching understanding of student outcome data. Four constructs - measurable conjectures, tolerance for variability, context, and inference & conclusions - provide the basis of a taxonomy to describe teachers' statistical thinking about comparing two groups in the context of an accountability system.

Location: http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/~iase/publications/1/10_18_ma.pdf