ICOTS 8 _ IASE

Data and context in statistics education: towards an evidence-based society

The realization that data is preferable to anecdote or intuition as a basis for robust decision making is spreading through many professions and sections of society. More and more, people want to see “the evidence”. Statistical methodology and modelling are increasingly pervading the research fabrics of all fields that advance by employing empirical enquiry. And since the root purpose of statistics is to extract insight and meaning about real contexts using data, statistics educators are increasingly realizing that this cannot be modelled by teachers without the use of rich, real contexts. It is important that data and contexts pervade statistical learning and teaching, to help students understand the nature and value of the statistical sciences, and to facilitate their learning. Successful learning processes involve data and contexts that are meaningful to students. These can be relevant to everyday life or to disciplines as varied as psychology, biology, business, sociology, engineering, the health sciences and statistics itself. But many questions remain about the myriad ways in which we can exploit context to achieve our educational goals. We also must look hard at how well we use the data and contexts that should be guiding our own educational practices.