ERIC Number: EJ841507
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jul
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1069-1898
EISSN: N/A
Students' Misconceptions in Interpreting Center and Variability of Data Represented via Histograms and Stem-and-Leaf Plots
Cooper, Linda L.; Shore, Felice S.
Journal of Statistics Education, v16 n2 Jul 2008
This paper identifies and discusses misconceptions that students have in making judgments of center and variability when data are presented graphically. An assessment addressing interpreting center and variability in histograms and stem-and-leaf plots was administered to, and follow-up interviews were conducted with, undergraduates enrolled in introductory statistics courses. Assessment items focused upon comparing the variability of two data sets of common range represented by bell-shaped histograms on a common scale, computing measures of center from data extracted from graphs, and in comparing the relative location of the mean and median on a histogram from skewed data. Students' misconceptions often stemmed from their difficulty in maintaining understanding of the data that are being represented graphically. (Contains 5 tables and 4 figures.)
Descriptors: Statistics, Introductory Courses, Undergraduate Students, Misconceptions, Data, Graphs, Evaluative Thinking
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A