Improving the teaching and learning of statistics

Background: Statistical literacy is more important now than ever. Mathematics teachers are often expected to teach statistics, but statistics and mathematics differ in important ways. The mathematics teaching workforce needs more opportunities to learn statistics and how to teach it accurately and effectively. Aims: This study was designed to estimate the effects of an intervention. The intervention consisted of a combination of an inquiry-oriented curriculum replacement unit and teacher learning opportunities in statistics and probability. Primary outcomes of interest were instructional practice and student understanding of statistics and probability. Sample: The study sample included seventh-grade teachers and their students (age 13) in a single, urban school district in the southeastern United States. There were 74 classrooms represented in the analytic sample for the instructional outcome and 2,283 students in the analytic sample for the student outcome. Methods: Schools were randomly assigned to the treatment or control conditions with equal probability of assignment to condition. Treatment-condition teachers participated in four days of professional learning workshops focused on teaching a 20-day curriculum unit. The Instructional Quality Assessment was used to measure instructional practice. The Levels of Conceptual Understanding in Statistics assessment instrument was used to measure student learning outcomes. Data analysis used hierarchical linear modeling. Results: Positive, statistically significant effects on both instructional practice (ES = .99) and student understanding of statistics (ES = .25) were found. Conclusions: The study results indicate that the inquiry-oriented lessons in the curriculum-with the support of teacher-learning opportunities-can improve instruction and increase student learning in statistics.