Many studies have reported on the influence of teachers' conceptions of variability on different aspects of their professional knowledge for teaching statistics and their classroom practices. However, research on these kind of conceptions is still scarce, particularly in Latin American countries like Venezuela. In an effort to help fill this gap,…

The present study explored 285 11th-grade students' preconceptions, misconceptions, and errors in solving mathematics tasks by graphical method. A descriptive-explorative study design was adopted. Cluster sampling was used to select students from sampled secondary schools in eastern and central Uganda. Students' paper and pen solution sketches…

This study investigates cognitive difficulties and mathematical ideas that are related to making connections among representations. A three-week intervention was designed and implemented to help prospective secondary mathematics teachers develop understanding of big ideas that are critical to connection of representations in algebra. This study…

Graphing bivariate data in a scatter plot and drawing an approximate line of best fit for the data have become commonly recommended activities for middle school and high school students. The graphing calculator has provided a mechanism for students both to approximate a best-fit line and to calculate the best-fit line using a built-in option. Two…

One of the biggest hurdles in teaching statistics is convincing students that the area under curves has anything to do with all the samples, histograms, and various other indicators to which they have been exposed. Presents two examples to illustrate this phenomenon. (ASK)

Proposes elements of a model of knowledge structures used in comprehending and generating graphs. Uses the competence model to attempt to organize and interpret findings on misconceptions in graphing. Discusses two types of common misconceptions; treating the graph as a picture and slope-height confusions. (YP)

Investigates students' conceptions and misconceptions relating to the construction of graphs. Qualitative analysis of students' responses identified three main alternative conceptions. Quantitative analyses of the data indicated that overall students did not enter the learning situation as a tabula rasa. Discusses the theoretical and practical…

This review of the introductory instructional substance of functions and graphs analyzes research on the interpretation and construction tasks associated with functions and some of their representations (algebraic, tabular, and graphical). The nature of learning is analyzed in terms of intuitions and misconceptions. (TJH)

This volume of the 27th International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education Conference includes the following research reports: (1) Improving Decimal Number Conception by Transfer from Fractions to Decimals (Irita Peled and Juhaina Awawdy Shahbari); (2) The Development of Student Teachers' Efficacy Beliefs in Mathematics during…