UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT SAMPLING FROM MANIPULATION OF DATA IN TINKERPLOTS SOFTWARE: A CASE OF A POLYVALENT TEACHER

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of a case study that investigated the understanding of sampling by a teacher while using the software TinkerPlots. The aim was identifying the teacher's understanding about the three basic aspects of sample concept: size, type and representativeness. The study also examined the influence of TinkerPlots tools in understanding these three aspects. The teacher answered an initial interview about her knowledge concerning the concept of sample; than the researcher presented the software; she developed two activities with the TinkerPlots about sampling; and at the end she answered an interview that aimed to identify possible changes in her understanding about sampling. The stages of the research were recorded in audio and video and their transcripts generated protocols. The analysis indicated that the teacher presented changes about her understanding of size and representativeness in some cases. She can identify sizes and worry about biases in small samples from simulations using the Sampler tool and data manipulation using the Plot tool. The data analysis suggested that activities related to sampling using the TinkerPlots facilitated the understanding about sampling.

Keywords: Statistics Education. Sampling. TinkerPlots Software.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14244/19827199763