Practical statistics in other school subjects

Statistics is a useful and necessary tool required by large numbers of pupils for their project work in other subject areas. But what are these pupils learning in their Mathematics lessons to back up all this practical statistical work? What can the Mathematics teacher provide to develop the necessary skills? Often little consideration is given to the QUALITY of the data collected and the most appropriate method of selecting a sample for a particular purpose. Should the Mathematics teacher consider sampling methods and help pupils to understand the need for a representative sample? Can the microcomputer be utilised for a more practical approach geared to the child's understanding?