The role of dotplots in statistics education practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52041/iase25.148Abstract
Statistical graphs play a crucial role in data literacy, yet pupils frequently misinterpret histograms. In education, textbooks typically progress from case-value plots to histograms but research suggests that dotplots and their variants (e.g., histodots) can support this transition. The study asked: How and how often are dotplots and their variants used in Dutch textbooks? An analysis of 19 Dutch textbooks (Grades 7–10) showed that dotplots are rare and not used to support transitions to histograms or boxplots. Variants like hatplots and histodots were absent. Hence, a gap is apparent between research on learning progressions in statistics education and the Dutch curriculum as implemented in textbooks, which teachers often closely follow. Although the reasons for this limited uptake of research remain speculative, possible explanations include a lack of exemplary large-scale or quasi-experimental studies and a shortage of exemplary, classroom-tested materials to support implementation.References
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