ERIC Number: ED572603
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Development of Fourth-Grade Students' Understanding of Experimental and Theoretical Probability
English, Lyn; Watson, Jane
Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia, Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia (MERGA) (37th, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 2014)
Students explored variation and expectation in a probability activity at the end of the first year of a 3-year longitudinal study across grades 4-6. The activity involved experiments in tossing coins both manually and with simulation using the graphing software, "TinkerPlots." Initial responses indicated that the students were aware of uncertainty, although an understanding of chance concepts appeared limited. Predicting outcomes of 10 tosses reflected an intuitive notion of equiprobability, with little awareness of variation. Understanding the relationship between experimental and theoretical probability did not emerge until multiple outcomes and representations were generated with the software.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Elementary School Mathematics, Elementary School Students, Grade 4, Mathematics Instruction, Mathematical Concepts, Probability, Longitudinal Studies, Mathematics Activities, Computer Simulation, Prediction, Learning Processes, Computer Software, Expectation, Experiments, Focus Groups, Data Analysis, Grade 5, Grade 6
Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia. GPO Box 2747, Adelaide SA 5001, Australia. Tel: +61-8-8363-0288; Fax: +61-8-8362-9288; e-mail: sales@merga.net.au; Web site: http://www.merga.net.au/
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Grade 4; Intermediate Grades; Grade 5; Middle Schools; Grade 6
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Mathematics Education Research Group of Australasia
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A