Systematic errors when interpreting statistical graphs

Authors Ayline Heursen, Vuslat Seker, Anita Alexander, Wim van Dooren, Saskia Schreiter, Frank Reinhold, Lonneke Boels, Martin Abt, Markus Vogel
Published in C., Cornejo, P. Felmer, D. M. Gómez, P. Dartnell, P. Araya, A. Peri, & V. Randolph (Eds.), Proceedings of the 48th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 1)
Publication date 2025
Research groups Mathematical and analytical competence of professionals
Type Lecture

Summary

Interpreting statistical graphs is a crucial component of the 21st-century skillset known as statistical literacy. Despite their importance for statistical literacy, research reports that systematic errors often occur in the interpretation. As no consolidated overview of these errors existed to date, a systematic literature review was conducted. This review identified systematic errors in the interpretation of graphical representations of the distribution of one variable, such as histograms, dotplots, boxplots, and casevalue plots. These errors were then categorized into four overarching themes, to provide a structured framework for understanding and addressing them.

On this publication contributed

  • Vuslat Seker
    • Researcher
    • Research group: Mathematical and analytical competence of professionals
  • Anita Alexander
    • Researcher
    • Research group: Mathematical and analytical competence of professionals
  • Lonneke Boels
    Lonneke Boels
    • Professor
    • Research group: Mathematical and analytical competence of professionals
Language English
Published in C., Cornejo, P. Felmer, D. M. Gómez, P. Dartnell, P. Araya, A. Peri, & V. Randolph (Eds.), Proceedings of the 48th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education (Vol. 1)
Key words statistical graphs, interpretation, errors
Page range 395-402

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