Reasoning About Data

Abstract

Many decisions in politics, economics, and society are based on data and statistics. In order to participate as a responsible citizen, it is essential to have a solid grounding in reasoning about data. Reasoning about data is a fundamental human activity; its components can be found in nearly every profession and in most school curricula in the world. This chapter reviews past and recent research on reasoning about data across all ages of learners from primary school to adults. Specifically in this chapter, the term reasoning about data is defined, the implementation of reasoning about data in the curricula of different countries is investigated, and research studies of learner reasoning about distribution, variation, comparing groups, and association, which are fundamental concepts when reasoning about data, are reviewed. The research review presented includes references to existing frameworks and taxonomies that can assess learner reasoning in regard to these concepts and discusses the influence of digital tools to enhance learner statistical reasoning. Finally, some insights for future directions in research about reasoning about data are provided.