Learning probability in the Kingdom of Tonga: the influence of language and culture

Abstract

Problems teaching probability in Tonga (in the South Pacific) led to the question on how language and culture affect the understanding of probability and uncertainty. The research uses a discursive approach to identify the endorsed narratives which underlie Tongans’ reasoning in situations of uncertainty. I aim to justify the claim that the Tongan language and the Tongan way of life interact to make the concept of uncertainty very different from that found in western countries and the concept of probability almost redundant in Tongan day-to-day discourse. There are very few cross-cultural studies concerning the ways in which probability and uncertainty are understood in different cultural contexts, and this article aims to make a small contribution to filling this gap.