We consider the ability to complete an investigative cycle as an indicator of the robustness of students' statistical knowledge. From this standpoint, we analyzed the written reports of primary education student teachers when they developed an investigative cycle in a Chilean and a Spanish university. In their development of the stages of the cycle we observed characteristics common to the centers (for example, summary research questions and conclusions that are a simple concatenation of results), and differential features (the data collection tools and techniques, among others). Armed with a knowledge of how future teachers approach and understand an investigative cycle we are able to contribute ideas that influence their training, building bridges between what they learn and what they should teach.