Development of statistical sense for critical positioning

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Lucía Zapata-Cardona
Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4266-5273

Abstract

Today's citizens are exposed to vast amounts of multivariate information, and they need tools to help them distinguish truth from «alternative facts». This exploratory study investigates how pre-service mathematics teachers evaluate empirical evidence to develop statistical sensemaking and adopt critical positions on environmental issues. Six students (three women and three men) on the mathematics education program were presented with tasks in sustainability contexts. The pre-service teachers were given contradictory news items about global warming to discuss, and were given a multivariate database containing information about global warming on an online platform designed for exploratory data analysis. Sources of information for the analysis included discussions during the task, screenshots, audio clips and written reports. Transcripts and critical positioning theory were used to analyze the participants' speech. The main findings reveal that contrasting contradictory news with real data stimulates the development of statistical sensemaking and critical positioning when relevant data management tools are employed. These findings could inform the design of curriculum materials and sustainable practices based on evidence.

Item information
Published: Oct 10, 2025
Issue: Vol. 4 (2025): Revista de Educación Estadística
Section: Avances en investigación en educación estadística y probabilística (Editora Responsable: Dra. Laura Muñiz Rodríguez, Universidad de Oviedo)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.29035/redes.4.1.16
Keywords: Teacher education, Statistical data, Climate change

Article Details

How to Cite
Zapata-Cardona, L. (2025). Development of statistical sense for critical positioning. Revista De Educação Estatística, 4, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.29035/redes.4.1.16
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