Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study

L.B.M.M. Boels; Rutmer Ebbes; A. Bakker; Wim van Dooren; P.H.M. Drijvers

Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study

L.B.M.M. Boels
, Rutmer Ebbes
, A. Bakker
, Wim van Dooren
, P.H.M. Drijvers

KU Leuven

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Many people misinterpret histograms. The conjecture is that some of these misinterpretations emerge from the application of interpretation strategies associated with case-value plots. To investigate this, eye-movement data were collected from six university students solving questions on histograms and
case-value plots. Analysis of gaze data and cued retrospective verbal reports showed that participants seemed to use a histogram interpretation strategy, a case-value plot interpretation strategy or an elimination strategy. Several participants appeared to use a single preferred strategy without distinguishing between the type of graphs at stake. As conjectured, some participants applied a casevalue plot strategy also to histograms. In addition, analysis of gaze data and verbal reports suggest that more experienced participants abandoned their nitial strategy when necessary.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018)
Editors	M.A. Sorto, A. White, L. Guyot
Place of Publication	Voorburg, The Netherlands
Publisher	International Statistics Institute
Pages	1-4
Number of pages	4
Publication status	Published - 8 Jul 2018

Bibliographical note

Invited Paper - Refereed

Keywords

histogram
eye movement
big idea in statistics
Didactics of mathematics
bar graph

Access to Document

ICOTS10_8E2_Kyoto_Japan_2018_07_Boels_etal_revealing_conceptual_difficulties_histogramsFinal published version, 299 KBLicence: CC BY-SA

http://icots.info/10/?session=8ELicence: CC BY-SA

Cite this

Boels, L. B. M. M., Ebbes, R., Bakker, A., van Dooren, W., & Drijvers, P. H. M. (2018). Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study. In M. A. Sorto, A. White, & L. Guyot (Eds.), Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018) (pp. 1-4). International Statistics Institute. http://icots.info/10/?session=8E

Boels, L.B.M.M. ; Ebbes, Rutmer ; Bakker, A. et al. / Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study. Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018). editor / M.A. Sorto ; A. White ; L. Guyot. Voorburg, The Netherlands : International Statistics Institute, 2018. pp. 1-4

@inproceedings{cd9ecdecfadc4ea19eae58cb5fe2c075,

title = "Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study",

abstract = "Many people misinterpret histograms. The conjecture is that some of these misinterpretations emerge from the application of interpretation strategies associated with case-value plots. To investigate this, eye-movement data were collected from six university students solving questions on histograms and case-value plots. Analysis of gaze data and cued retrospective verbal reports showed that participants seemed to use a histogram interpretation strategy, a case-value plot interpretation strategy or an elimination strategy. Several participants appeared to use a single preferred strategy without distinguishing between the type of graphs at stake. As conjectured, some participants applied a casevalue plot strategy also to histograms. In addition, analysis of gaze data and verbal reports suggest that more experienced participants abandoned their nitial strategy when necessary.",

keywords = "histogram, eye movement, big idea in statistics, Didactics of mathematics, bar graph",

author = "L.B.M.M. Boels and Rutmer Ebbes and A. Bakker and \{van Dooren\}, Wim and P.H.M. Drijvers",

note = "Invited Paper - Refereed",

year = "2018",

month = jul,

day = "8",

language = "English",

pages = "1--4",

editor = "M.A. Sorto and A. White and L. Guyot",

booktitle = "Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018)",

publisher = "International Statistics Institute",

}

Boels, LBMM, Ebbes, R, Bakker, A, van Dooren, W & Drijvers, PHM 2018, Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study. in MA Sorto, A White & L Guyot (eds), Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018). International Statistics Institute, Voorburg, The Netherlands, pp. 1-4. <http://icots.info/10/?session=8E>

Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study. / Boels, L.B.M.M.; Ebbes, Rutmer; Bakker, A. et al.
Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018). ed. / M.A. Sorto; A. White; L. Guyot. Voorburg, The Netherlands: International Statistics Institute, 2018. p. 1-4.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

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T1 - Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study

AU - Boels, L.B.M.M.

AU - Ebbes, Rutmer

AU - Bakker, A.

AU - van Dooren, Wim

AU - Drijvers, P.H.M.

N1 - Invited Paper - Refereed

PY - 2018/7/8

Y1 - 2018/7/8

N2 - Many people misinterpret histograms. The conjecture is that some of these misinterpretations emerge from the application of interpretation strategies associated with case-value plots. To investigate this, eye-movement data were collected from six university students solving questions on histograms and case-value plots. Analysis of gaze data and cued retrospective verbal reports showed that participants seemed to use a histogram interpretation strategy, a case-value plot interpretation strategy or an elimination strategy. Several participants appeared to use a single preferred strategy without distinguishing between the type of graphs at stake. As conjectured, some participants applied a casevalue plot strategy also to histograms. In addition, analysis of gaze data and verbal reports suggest that more experienced participants abandoned their nitial strategy when necessary.

AB - Many people misinterpret histograms. The conjecture is that some of these misinterpretations emerge from the application of interpretation strategies associated with case-value plots. To investigate this, eye-movement data were collected from six university students solving questions on histograms and case-value plots. Analysis of gaze data and cued retrospective verbal reports showed that participants seemed to use a histogram interpretation strategy, a case-value plot interpretation strategy or an elimination strategy. Several participants appeared to use a single preferred strategy without distinguishing between the type of graphs at stake. As conjectured, some participants applied a casevalue plot strategy also to histograms. In addition, analysis of gaze data and verbal reports suggest that more experienced participants abandoned their nitial strategy when necessary.

KW - histogram

KW - eye movement

KW - big idea in statistics

KW - Didactics of mathematics

KW - bar graph

UR - http://iase-web.org/Conference_Proceedings.php?p=ICOTS_10_2018

M3 - Conference contribution

SP - 1

EP - 4

BT - Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018)

A2 - Sorto, M.A.

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PB - International Statistics Institute

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ER -

Boels LBMM, Ebbes R, Bakker A, van Dooren W, Drijvers PHM. Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study. In Sorto MA, White A, Guyot L, editors, Looking back, looking forward. Proceedings of the Tenth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS10, Kyoto, july 2018). Voorburg, The Netherlands: International Statistics Institute. 2018. p. 1-4

Revealing Conceptual Difficulties when Interpreting Histograms: An Eye-Tracking Study

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

Access to Document

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Using machine learning to understand students' gaze patterns on graphing tasks. Invited Paper - Refereed

Video: Designing embodied tasks for statistical literacy: Presentation at the mathematics education seminar

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