Research on Reasoning about Variability: A Forward

The research studies presented in this special issue have serveral common features. Their topics reflect the shift in emphasis in statistics instruction, from statistical techniques, formulas, and procedures to developing statistical reasoning and thinking. These studies employ various types of qualitative methodologies, which appear to have uncovered many interesting points about how students and teachers reason about variability. Most of them use extended teaching experiments, or represent cases where researchers collaborated with teachers in field settings or designed specialized learning episodes or environments, to be able to elicit detailed and deep data about students' actions and reasoning.