Author: Santiago Inzunza Cazares
Abstract: Results are reported of a study on bivariate data analysis, with 34
university students, while taking an introductory statistics course, in which a
computer environment integrated by applets and dynamic software data analysis
were used, are reported. In the diagnostic evaluation, the students exhibited low
level of intuitive reasoning about the covariation in scatter plots, but in the final
activity, after using the computer environment, they successfully identified the
direction of the relationship between the variables and developed a good sense
of the strength of the relationship and correlation coefficient. However, the interpretation
of the coefficients of the regression equation and the coefficient of
determination were a complicated task for the students. The strategies used in
the data analysis privileged the use of graphical and visual representations,
instead of symbolic representations of calculation, as result of the dynamic
visualization power of the technological tools used.
Keywords: Bivariate data, covariational reasoning, digital technologies.
