Statistics is an increasingly important component of the mathematics curriculum. "StatSmart" was a project intended to influence middle-years students' learning outcomes in statistics through the provision of appropriate professional learning opportunities and technology to teachers. Participating students in grade 5/6 to grade 9…

This paper considers the development of school students' ability to define three terms that are fundamental to statistical literacy: sample, random, and variation. A total of 738 students in grades 3, 5, 7, and 9 were asked in a survey to define and give an example for the word "sample." Of these, 379 students in grades 7 and 9 were also asked…