Data Investigation Briefs for Supporting School Teachers in Engaging in the Data Investigation Process

Abstract

Introductory statistics courses and school statistics concepts are often taught by people who are experts in mathematics but not always in statistics creating an issue in that such instructors may not be attuned to the data investigative process and epistemology of statistics. To support such instructors we developed Statistical Investigation Briefs for the five major analyses typically covered in high school courses: one quantitative variable, one categorical variable, two quantitative variables, two categorical variables, and one quantitative variable grouped by a categorical variable. While these tools were developed for high school teachers, they could be adapted to introductory statistics courses, often taught by instructors who need additional support. These briefs provide a demonstration of how to carry out the entire Data Investigation Process with real data in a connected coherent way. This approach aligns with recommendations of the GAISE K-12 Reports and educational research.