Data interpretation and representation in middle primary: two case studies

Two case studies of Australian primary school students tracked changes in their data interpretation and representation over three years. Students were engaged in predictive reasoning tasks based on their interpretation of a data table showing temperature change over time. Students’ explanations and graphical representations were collected at the beginning of Years 3 and 4 and the end of Years 4 and 5. The first case study was a student mathematically weaker than her peers while case study two was within the average range for her year. Despite differences in starting points, both case studies followed a similar developmental sequence of predicting, interpreting and representing, with the first case generally lagging one stage behind the second case. Similarities and contrasts between the two students are discussed.