The Statistical Reasoning Level of Chilean Students of Pedagogy in Mathematics on Statistical Hypotheses Tests

Resumo

Background: There is a relationship between a country’s progress and the statistical formation of its citizens, where the statistical reasoning of mathematics teachers is crucial to increase this relationship. Objective: To determine the level of statistical reasoning on hypothesis tests of future Chilean mathematics teachers. Design: The methodology used is a quantitative transectional approach. The SOLO (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) taxonomy was used to characterise the pre-service teachers’ level of knowledge of the main concepts of hypothesis testing. Settings and participants: Chilean students from V to VIII level of Pedagogy in Mathematics who passed the statistics subjects of the formative itinerary, subjects that include the topic of hypothesis testing. Data collection and analysis: Through a consecutive non-probabilistic sampling and an instrument previously validated by expert judges, a sample made up of 29 of 43 pre-service teachers was analysed, obtaining a representation of 67% of the target population. Result: There was enough evidence to affirm that the per-service teachers’ statistical reasoning is in prestructural and unistructural levels of the SOLO taxonomy regarding their knowledge of the statistical hypothesis tests. Conclusion: It is necessary to correct this situation by means of remedial tools before those students graduate and begin teaching.