Teaching Statistics through Data Investigations in Australian Secondary Schools: An Island-based Pilot Project
Authors
Minh Huynh
Swinburne University of Technology
James Baglin
RMIT University
Abstract
Declines in secondary school students’ attitudes towards, and participation in, mathematics and science are cause for concern. In 2012, a report from the Office of the Chief Scientist called for universities and schools to develop partnerships aimed at improving mathematics and science education in schools. Responding to this call, this pilot project used an online simulation of a human population, known as the Island (Bulmer & Haladyn, 2011), to develop innovative activities for teaching statistics through data investigations. The activities were aligned with the Statistics and Probability strand of the Australian Mathematics Curriculum. The Island-based activities aimed to engage students in meaningful and realistic statistical practice and thereby improve their attitudes towards statistics. The resources were piloted in four partnered secondary schools from the northern suburbs of Melbourne in years 8 to 11 mathematics classes. Questionnaire data from students’ attitudes towards statistics before and after completing the project activities were collected from 237 students. The results found statistically significant increases in positive attitudes towards statistics, however, students’ attitudes towards career prospects in statistics were resistant to change and competency significantly declined. This paper discusses the limitations of these findings and the future directions for a national project.
The University of Sydney acknowledges that its campuses and facilities sit on the ancestral lands of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander peoples, who have for thousands of generations exchanged knowledge for the benefit of all.
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