How accurately can final-year students majoring in statistics, physics, and finance label the vertical axis of a normal distribution, explain their label, identify units, and answer a question about the impact of horizontal-axis rescaling? Our survey finds that only 27 out of 148 students surveyed (i.e., 18.2%) could label the vertical axis of the…

Manipulatives have been found to be effective in increasing mathematics achievement when they are put to good use (Canny, 1984; Clements & Battista, 1990; Clements, 1999; Sowell, 1989; Suydam, 1984), but their use in mathematics instruction is not clear and it is often debated to be effective (Ball, 1992; McNeil & Jarvin, 2007). The…

Typical difficulties in learning probabilistic subjects are concerned with big data, complicated formulas and inconvenient figures in statistical analyses. The present research considers the usage of innovative teaching methods (e.g. electronic summary of lectures, presentations of lecture courses, task solution templates, electronic training…

While 'flipped' classrooms have been heralded as a valuable tool for student learning, little is known about the process by which students learn from the out-of-class resources. This study investigates 12 undergraduate students' sense-making activities while watching videos about topics in introductory statistics. Analysis of interview data…

The aim of the present study is to determine the influence of concept definitions of cylinder and cone on primary mathematics student teachers' construction of relevant concept images. The study had a relational survey design and the participants were 238 primary mathematics student teachers. Statistical analyses implied the following: mathematics…

I report on what teachers in an Advanced Certificate in Education (ACE) inservice programme learned about probabilistic reasoning in relation to teaching it. I worked "on the inside" using my practice as a site for studying teaching and learning. The teachers were from three different towns in the Northern Cape province and had limited…

Interpreting information regarding health risks, crime statistics, and government polls requires some ability to use and interpret probabilities. Studies have shown that even after training or coursework in probability and statistics, people still have many difficulties solving probability problems. The thesis of this document is that helping…

The practical use of such concepts as sets, probability and statistics are considered by many to be vital and necessary to our everyday life. This student manual is intended to familiarize students with these concepts and to provide practice using real life examples. It also attempts to illustrate how the insurance industry uses such mathematic…

Examined inconsistencies in secondary school students' reasoning about the probability concept of equally likely events. Results of two studies suggest that the number of students who understand the concept of independence is much lower than the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress results indicate. (Contains 22 references.) (MDH)

This document offers instructional materials for a 60-hour course on math operations involving decimals, fractions, proportions, statistics, probability, measurement, geometry, and linear algebra as applied in the workplace. The course was part of a workplace literacy project developed by Mercer County Community College (New Jersey) and its…

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reports on the status and progress of educational achievement in the United States. Based on its surveys, "The Nation's Report Card" provides comprehensive information about what students in the United States can do in various subject areas. The framework for the 1990 mathematics…

To help classroom teachers in grades K-9 construct mathematics tests, fifteen general objectives, corresponding sub-objectives, sample test items, and answers are presented. In general, sub-objectives are arranged in increasing order of difficulty. The objectives were written to comprehensively cover three categories. The first, graphs, covers the…

A collection of 96 mathematics items are presented for state and local education agencies to draw upon in designing their own minimal competency tests. These items, part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, have been reviewed in terms of their appropriateness for a minimal competency test for high school graduation. The items are…