Students' Emerging Reasoning About Data Tables of Large-Scale Data

Abstract

This study investigated thirty-two Year 9 secondary school students' (15 year olds) reasoning about data tables of large-scale data. Eight groups of four students, drawn from six classes, participated in a workshop that examined the components of population change for EU and candidate countries, namely natural increase of population, net overseas migration for Europe and their country, and total population growth. Students investigated trends in real data displayed in tables, and responded to a set of reflective questions. Analysis of the reasoning used by the students revealed four levels of data-table comprehension - reading the data, reading within the data, reading beyond the data, and reading behind the data - similar to the levels described for students working with smaller data sets.