Repeated Sampling as a step towards Informal Statistical Inference

Abstract

Recent literature suggests that secondary school students should learn about informal statistical inference (ISI) as preparation for formal statistical inference. Not enough is known, however, how to realize this. The design study reported here aimed at developing a theoretically and empirically grounded learning trajectory (LT) on ISI for 9th-grade 14-year-old students. The LT focused on sampling, the frequency distribution of results from repeated samples, and sampling distribution. The current paper reports on the part of the LT on using the frequency distribution of repeated samples as tested with twenty students. The results showed that these students could imagine and sketch the frequency distribution of repeated samples, which indicates a step forward in their understanding of variation and uncertainty in drawing informal statistical inferences.