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Statistical Literacy in the Elementary School: Opportunities for Problem Posing

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Mathematical Problem Posing

Part of the book series: Research in Mathematics Education ((RME))

Abstract

This chapter addresses opportunities for problem posing in developing young children’s statistical literacy, with a focus on student-directed investigations. Although the notion of problem posing has broadened in recent years, there nevertheless remains limited research on how problem posing can be integrated within the regular mathematics curriculum, especially in the areas of statistics and probability. The chapter first reviews briefly aspects of problem posing that have featured in the literature over the years. Consideration is next given to the importance of developing children’s statistical literacy in which problem posing is an inherent feature. Some findings from a school playground investigation conducted in four, fourth-grade classes illustrate the different ways in which children posed investigative questions, how they made predictions about their outcomes and compared these with their findings, and the ways in which they chose to represent their findings.

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Acknowledgements

This research study is supported by a Discovery Grant (DP120100158) from the Australian Research Council (ARC). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this chapter are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ARC. We wish to acknowledge the enthusiastic participation of all the classroom teachers and their students, as well as the excellent support provided by our senior research assistant, Jo Macri.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Curriculum, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia

    Lyn D. English

  2. Faculty of Education, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia

    Jane M. Watson

Authors
  1. Lyn D. English
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  2. Jane M. Watson
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Correspondence to Lyn D. English .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Sciences, University of Ploiesti, Bucharest, Romania

    Florence Mihaela Singer

  2. Department of Mathematics, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, USA

    Nerida F. Ellerton

  3. Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, USA

    Jinfa Cai

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English, L.D., Watson, J.M. (2015). Statistical Literacy in the Elementary School: Opportunities for Problem Posing. In: Singer, F., F. Ellerton, N., Cai, J. (eds) Mathematical Problem Posing. Research in Mathematics Education. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6258-3_11

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