Exploring high school teachers' inclusion of statistics in intermediate algebra
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52041/serj.1032Keywords:
Statistics education research; Multiple case study; Secondary mathematics education; Statistical literacy; Practicing mathematics teachersAbstract
As statistics content standards are increasingly embedded in U.S. high school mathematics curricula, Intermediate Algebra has become a key course for students’ statistical learning. This multiple case study used survey and interview data to examine how 10 high school mathematics teachers described their inclusion of statistics within Intermediate Algebra, as well as the rationales and curricular decisions guiding that work. Across cases, statistical literacy emerged as a shared instructional goal for including statistics in the course; teachers emphasized that learning statistics prepares students for the workplace and future professions, informed citizenship and personal choices, or both. Although teachers described teaching similar statistics content––primarily descriptive statistics, probability, and statistical association––statistical inference received comparatively limited attention. These findings highlight both the opportunities and constraints of including statistics content within Intermediate Algebra and offer implications for curriculum design, teacher preparation, and professional learning.
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