A Review of Statistics Education Reform Efforts in Korea

Abstract

Statistics education reform in Korea has played a critical role in innovating school mathematics education, as it provides students with skills necessary for a data-driven world. Over the past two decades, numerous researchers, teachers, and governmental support have been devoted to enhancing statistics education. The impact of these reform efforts has led to significant changes in the goals, learning content, structure, instructional methods, and assessment approaches in the national mathematics curriculum, mathematics textbooks, and mathematics classrooms. This article outlines key contributions to improving statistics education since the end of 1990s. It reviews the trend of statistics education research and government initiatives in developing a research-based statistics education system and highlights major changes in the national mathematics curricula and the mathematics textbooks: namely, the enhancement of real-world connection, the integration of statistical problem solving approaches, and the incorporation of technology in statistics education at all school levels. The article also presents prospects and challenges for continuing the reform of statistics education in Korea, based on lessons learned during the review of the reform efforts.