Statistics in Early Childhood and Primary Education

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxiv

   PDF

2. Theory and Conceptualisation of Statistics and Probability in the Early Years

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

      PDF

   2. Theorising Links Between Context and Structure to Introduce Powerful Statistical Ideas in the Early Years

      • Katie Makar

      Pages 3-20

   3. Probabilistic Thinking and Young Children: Theory and Pedagogy

      • Zoi Nikiforidou

      Pages 21-34

3. Learning Statistics and Probability

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 35-35

      PDF

   2. Emergent Reasoning About Uncertainty in Primary School Children with a Focus on Subjective Probability

      • Sibel Kazak, Aisling M. Leavy

      Pages 37-54

   3. Variation and Expectation for Six-Year-Olds

      • Jane Watson

      Pages 55-73

   4. The Impact of Culturally Responsive Teaching on Statistical and Probabilistic Learning of Elementary Children

      • Celi Espasandin Lopes, Dana Cox

      Pages 75-88

   5. Inscriptional Capacities and Representations of Young Children Engaged in Data Collection During a Statistical Investigation

      • Aisling M. Leavy, Mairéad Hourigan

      Pages 89-107

   6. Scaffolding Statistical Inquiries for Young Children

      • Jill Fielding-Wells

      Pages 109-127

   7. How Kindergarten and Elementary School Students Understand the Concept of Classification

      • Gilda Guimarães, Izabella Oliveira

      Pages 129-146

4. Teaching Statistics and Probability: Curriculum Issues

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 147-147

      PDF

   2. Unpacking Implicit Disagreements Among Early Childhood Standards for Statistics and Probability

      • Randall E. Groth

      Pages 149-162

   3. Statistical Graphs in Spanish Textbooks and Diagnostic Tests for 6–8-Year-Old Children

      • Carmen Batanero, Pedro Arteaga, María M. Gea

      Pages 163-180

5. Teaching Statistics and Probability: Tasks and Materials

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 181-181

      PDF

   2. Initiating Interest in Statistical Problems: The Role of Picture Story Books

      • Virginia Kinnear

      Pages 183-199

   3. Teachers’ Reflection on Challenges for Teaching Probability in the Early Years

      • Efi Paparistodemou, Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris

      Pages 201-215

   4. Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of an Instructional Sequence to Lead Primary School Students to Comparing Groups in Statistical Projects

      • Daniel Frischemeier

      Pages 217-238

   5. Data Representations in Early Statistics: Data Sense, Meta-Representational Competence and Transnumeration

      • Soledad Estrella

      Pages 239-256

   6. Supporting Young Children to Develop Combinatorial Reasoning

      • Lucía Zapata-Cardona

      Pages 257-272

This compilation focuses on the theory and conceptualisation of statistics and probability in the early years and the development of young children’s (ages 3-10) understanding of data and chance. It provides a comprehensive overview of cutting-edge international research on the development of young learners’ reasoning about data and chance in formal, informal, and non-formal educational contexts. The authors share insights into young children’s statistical and probabilistic reasoning and provide early childhood educators and researchers with a wealth of illustrative examples, suggestions, and practical strategies on how to address the challenges arising from the introduction of statistical and probabilistic concepts in pre-school and school curricula. 
This collection will inform practices in research and teaching by providing a detailed account of current best practices, challenges, and issues, and of future trends and directions in early statistical and probabilistic learning worldwide. Further, it will contribute to future research and theory building by addressing theoretical, epistemological, and methodological considerations regarding the design of probability and statistics learning environments for young children.

• early statistical reasoning
• stochastical reasoning
• early childhood education
• mathematics education
• lesson planning
• teacher education
• early childhood teachers
• picture books
• problem solving
• teaching and learning
• statistical investigation
• statistical inquiry
• inference and informal inference
• statistical literacy, thinking and reasoning
• game-enhanced learning
• constructivist gaming environments
• inscription capacities
• probability language
• variability and variation
• learning and instruction

• Department of STEM Education, Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

  Aisling Leavy

• Department of Education Sciences, European University Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus

  Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris

• Cyprus Pedagogical Institute, Latsia, Nicosia, Cyprus

  Efi Paparistodemou

Dr. Aisling Leavy is Head of STEM Education at Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick. Her research interests include statistical thinking and reasoning, children’s mathematical thinking, and mathematics teacher education. Aisling is currently an Associate Editor of Statistics Education Research Journal and General Editor of Irish Educational Studies. She publishes in international scholarly journals in the areas of statistics education, mathematics education, and prospective teachers’ attitudes towards and knowledge of mathematics and statistics. 


Dr. Maria Meletiou-Mavrotheris is a Professor of Mathematics Education at the European University Cyprus, and Director of the Research Laboratory in ICT-Enhanced Education. Her research concentrates on issues related to the teaching and learning of statistics, mathematics, science, and technology education. She has produced numerous publications in scholarly international journals and edited volumes, and has been able to attract considerable funding from national and international sources. Her research record includes the coordination of multiple EU-funded projects, including the Socrates-Comenius project EarlyStatistics: Enhancing the Teaching and Learning of Early Statistical Reasoning in European Schools.


Dr. Efi Paparistodemou is a teacher educator at Cyprus Pedagogical Institute. She holds degrees in Education, Mathematics and Statistics, and a PhD in Mathematics Education. She has worked as a teacher, a special math educator, a math textbook writer and as an Assistant Professor at the European University Cyprus. Her research concentrates on issues related to statistics, probability, mathematics teacher education and technology. She has worked in European projects (e.g. EarlyStatistics) and published on mathematics and statistics education, technology education, prospective and in-service teacher development, and professional learning in mathematics.

Policies and ethics