Enhancing Statistical Literacy in Data Representation: The Impact of Problem-Posing Intervention*

Abstract

Statistical literacy includes the components of data collection, data analysis, data representation, and drawing inferences from data. This study aims to investigate the impact of a teaching environment based on problem-posing activities on middle school students' statistical literacy, specifically on the data representation component. The study was conducted with 32 seventh-grade students in a middle school in Turkey. 17 students were in the experimental group, and 15 were in the control group. In the study, a mixed-methods research design was adopted, wherein quantitative data were collected using a quasi-experimental method. In the experimental group, teaching was conducted using problem-posing activities, while the control group continued with the teacher’s ongoing teaching method. A test was developed to determine the students' statistical competency in the data representation component of statistical literacy. Interview questions were also developed to assess the students' levels of statistical literacy. The students who participated in the interviews were selected based on the results of a prediction test administered to both groups before the intervention. Validity and reliability studies for the tests, as well as the analysis of the answers given by the students, were conducted using the Rasch model. The raw scores obtained from the tests were first converted into linear measures. Subsequently, frequencies, percentage distributions, independent t-test, and ANCOVA analyses were performed. The findings of the study indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group students in terms of the data representation component of statistical literacy. Additionally, the interview results revealed that students in the experimental group demonstrated high-level performance in statistical literacy. Based on these results, it is recommended that learning environments offer experiences based on problem-posing activities in the context of statistical processes, to support the development of students' statistical competencies and improve their statistical literacy levels.