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This paper explores the use of the dynamic software package, TinkerPlots, as a research tool to assist in assessing students' understanding of aspects of beginning inference. Two interview protocols used previously with middle school students in printed format without computer software were introduced to a new sample of students through data sets entered in TinkerPlots. The later group of students had experienced a series of lessons using TinkerPlots but the activities were based on different data sets. Of interest in this exploratory study is an analysis of the affordances provided by TinkerPlots to researchers in their quest to assist students in explaining their thinking about the data sets. These are considered in relation to those provided by the format of the earlier interviews.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	middle school students, research tools, statistical understanding, student interviews,TinkerPlots.
Research Division:	Education
Research Group:	Curriculum and Pedagogy
Research Field:	Mathematics and Numeracy Curriculum and Pedagogy
Objective Division:	Education and Training
Objective Group:	Learner and Learning
Objective Field:	Learner and Learning Processes
UTAS Author:	Watson, JM (Professor Jane Watson)
UTAS Author:	Donne, JM (Mrs Julie Donne)
ID Code:	60580
Year Published:	2009
Deposited By:	Education
Deposited On:	2010-02-11
Last Modified:	2012-12-14
Downloads:	451 View Download Statistics