Teachers’ professional development needs in data handling and probability

Helena Wessels,Hercules Nieuwoudt

doi:10.4102/pythagoras.v32i1.10

Helena Wessels, Hercules Nieuwoudt

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4102/pythagoras.v32i1.10

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Journal: Pythagoras	Publication Date: Oct 20, 2011
Citations: 16	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Stellenbosch University, North-West University

Abstract

Poor Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) results and widespread disappointing mathematics results in South Africa necessitate research-based and more efficient professional development for in-service mathematics teachers. This article reports on the profiling of mathematics teachers’ statistical knowledge, beliefs and confidence in order to inform the development of in-service teacher education programmes in statistics for Grade 8 and Grade 9 teachers. Ninety mathematics teachers from schools with culturally diverse learner populations in an urban region in South Africa were profiled using an adapted profiling instrument (Watson, 2001). Although statistics formed part of quite a number of these teachers’ initial teacher education and about half of them were involved in professional development in statistics education, they still teach traditionally, rather than using a more data driven approach. Teachers indicated high levels of confidence in teaching most statistics topics but showed low levels of statistical thinking when they had to apply their knowledge of concepts, such as sample and average in social contexts including newspaper articles and research reports.

Highlights

In South Africa, as in many other countries, many mathematics teachers lack a sound grounding in statistics (North & Scheiber, 2008; North & Zewotir, 2006; Wessels, 2008, 2009)
Results of this study clearly show that mathematics teachers in many cases lack specialised content knowledge of statistics or do not understand different constructs in statistics sufficiently to apply their knowledge and reason with these constructs in social contexts, such as newspaper articles and research reports
The profiling instrument in this study provides a broad but incomplete picture of mathematics teachers’ statistical knowledge, practices and beliefs, supplying information about the professional development needs of the teachers profiled

Summary

Introduction

In South Africa, as in many other countries, many mathematics teachers lack a sound grounding in statistics (North & Scheiber, 2008; North & Zewotir, 2006; Wessels, 2008, 2009). A series of professional development initiatives in statistics education started in South Africa when the Sixth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS6) was held in the country in 2002. These initiatives were strengthened when the national statistics office (Statistics SA) provided financial assistance for professional development in statistics education by launching the Maths4Stats campaign in 2006 (North & Scheiber, 2008). From discussions with teachers it was clear that because of minimal exposure to statistics in their initial training and later in their career, many of the Grade 8 and Grade 9 teachers lacked statistics content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge. The need for professional development in statistics education, for Grade 8 and Grade 9 statistics teachers, is all too clear

Results

Discussion

Conclusion