The purpose of this study was to investigate on a national scale the baseline level of p-value fluency of future researchers (i.e., doctoral students). To that end, two research questions were investigated. The first research question, Can a sufficiently reliable and valid measure of p-value misinterpretations (in a research context) be constructed?, was addressed via the development and validation of the Keller P-value Misinterpretation Inventory instrument (KPVMI). An iterative process of expert review, pilot testing, and field testing resulted in an adequately reliable measure (Alpha = .8030) of p-value fluency as assessed across 18 misinterpretations and 2 process levels as well as an independently validated sub-measure of p-value fluency in context as assessed across 18 misinterpretations (Alpha = .8298). The second research question, What do the results of the KPVMI administration tell us about the current level of p-value fluency among doctoral students nationally?, was addressed via analysis of a subset of the field test data (n = 147) with respect to performance on the subset of items considered sufficiently validated as developed in Phases I-III (KPVMI-1). The median score was 10/18 items answered correctly indicating that future researchers on the aggregate struggle to properly interpret and report p-values in context; furthermore, there was insufficient evidence to indicate training and experience are positively correlated with performance. These results aligned with the extant literature regarding the p-value misinterpretations of practicing researchers. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this study was to investigate on a national scale the baseline level of p-value fluency of future researchers (i.e., doctoral students). To that end, two research questions were investigated. The first research question, Can a sufficiently reliable and valid measure of p-value misinterpretations (in a research context) be constructed?, was addressed via the development and validation of the Keller P-value Misinterpretation Inventory instrument (KPVMI). The second research question, What do the results of the KPVMI administration tell us about the current level of p-value fluency among doctoral students nationally?, was addressed via analysis of a subset of the field test data (n = 147) with respect to performance on the subset of items considered sufficiently validated as developed in Phases I-III (KPVMI-1). Results indicate that future researchers on the aggregate struggle to properly interpret and report p-values in context; furthermore, there was insufficient evidence to indicate training and experience are positively correlated with performance. These results aligned with the extant literature regarding the p-value misinterpretations of practicing researchers.

Nesta Dissertação de Mestrado tenho como objetivo compreender de que modo o saber estatístico se constitui em um dizer de verdadeiro e como ele opera na produção discursiva da alfabetização, do analfabetismo e do alfabetismo/letramento. Tal estudo se inscreve no referencial teórico-metodológico dos Estudos Culturais em Educação em vertente pós-estruturalista. Inspiro-me nas teorizações de Michel Foucault e utilizo os conceitos de discurso, verdade, biopolítica e governamentalidade. Com o primeiro movimento que realizei no trabalho busquei elencar alguns aspectos históricos e técnicos da constituição da estatística, pois se supõe que esses elementos (históricos e técnicos) conferem às estatísticas um status de verdade. Também trouxe as contribuições de Michel Foucault ao estudo do saber estatístico como um saber necessário ao governamento da população. O segundo movimento consistiu-se em pesquisar as maneiras pelas quais os saberes sobre a leitura e a escrita são quantificados, com quais instrumentos, a partir de quais entendimentos sobre alfabetização e alfabetismo/letramento. Assim, analisei algumas formas de produção de estatísticas sobre alfabetização, analfabetismo e alfabetismo/letramento. O material empírico da pesquisa é composto por artigos acadêmicos de revistas de Educação e de Estatística, resumos de dissertações e teses, e por matérias jornalísticas de publicações impressas e digitais. Nas análises mostrei que o saber estatístico opera na produção discursiva da alfabetização de três maneiras: como material empírico, como procedimento metodológico e fazendose referência às estatísticas ou ao saber estatístico. Além disso, mostrei que essa produção discursiva opera com dados estatísticos utilizando tanto percentuais quanto números absolutos para uma mesma informação, trazendo rankings e mostrando dados que possibilitam comparações. A partir das análises pude mostrar ainda algumas estratégias utilizadas para “fazer falar” os dados, como os comentários dos especialistas, e foi possível visibilizar a formação de professores como a causa e a solução para os baixos e para os altos índices de alfabetização e de alfabetismo/letramento. Discuti a invenção dos níveis de alfabetismo/letramento entendendo-os nesta pesquisa como gradiente de alfabetismo/letramento que operam na multiplicação das posições do sujeito alfabetizado. Em síntese, com as diferentes análises realizadas nessa dissertação, mostrei que o saber estatístico opera como um dizer verdadeiro na produção discursiva da alfabetização, do analfabetismo e do alfabetismo/letramento, na medida em que é capaz de produzir saberes que posicionam os sujeitos quando da sua relação com a leitura e a escrita. / This Master Thesis aims to understand how the statistical knowledge constitutes a discourse of truth and how it operates in the discursive production of literacy, alphabetization and illiteracy / literacy. This study falls within the theoretical and methodological framework of Cultural Studies in Education in a poststructuralist strand. Based upon theories of Michel Foucault, the concepts of discourse, truth, biopolitics and governmentality are found here. This paper has aimed primarily to list some historical and technical aspects of the constitution of statistics, because it is assumed that these elements (historical and technical) provide statistics a status of truth. As well as, it was brought the contributions of Michel Foucault to the study of statistical knowledge as a needed knowledge to govern the population. The second motion consisted in researching the ways in which knowledge about reading and writing are quantified, with which instruments, from which understandings about alphabetization and alphabetic literacy / literacy. Thus, some ways of producing statistics on alphabetic literacy, literacy and illiteracy / literacy were analyzed. The research’s empirical material consists of academic papers and magazines of Education and Statistics, besides, newspaper articles of printed and digital publications. The analyses showed that the statistical knowledge operates in the discursive production of literacy in three ways: as empirical material, methodological procedure and by making reference to statistics or statistical knowledge. Furthermore, it was shown that this discourse production operates statistical data using both percentages and absolute numbers for the same information, also bringing rankings and showing data that allow comparisons. The analyses also showed some strategies used to "talk to" the data, as the comments from experts, and allowed visualization of teacher’s educational background as a cause and solution for the low and high rates of alphabetization and alphabetic literacy / literacy. There were discussions on the invention of levels of alphabetic literacy / literacy, understanding them in this research as gradient of alphabetic literacy / literacy operating in proliferation of the literate subjects’ position. In summary, the different analyzes performed in this dissertation showed that the statistical knowledge operates as a real ‘say’ in the discursive production of alphabetization, alphabetic literacy and illiteracy / literacy, as it is capable of producing knowledge that positions the subject related to reading and writing.

Nesta Dissertação de Mestrado tenho como objetivo compreender de que modo o saber estatístico se constitui em um dizer de verdadeiro e como ele opera na produção discursiva da alfabetização, do analfabetismo e do alfabetismo/letramento. Tal estudo se inscreve no referencial teórico-metodológico dos Estudos Culturais em Educação em vertente pós-estruturalista. Inspiro-me nas teorizações de Michel Foucault e utilizo os conceitos de discurso, verdade, biopolítica e governamentalidade. Com o primeiro movimento que realizei no trabalho busquei elencar alguns aspectos históricos e técnicos da constituição da estatística, pois se supõe que esses elementos (históricos e técnicos) conferem às estatísticas um status de verdade. Também trouxe as contribuições de Michel Foucault ao estudo do saber estatístico como um saber necessário ao governamento da população. O segundo movimento consistiu-se em pesquisar as maneiras pelas quais os saberes sobre a leitura e a escrita são quantificados, com quais instrumentos, a partir de quais entendimentos sobre alfabetização e alfabetismo/letramento. Assim, analisei algumas formas de produção de estatísticas sobre alfabetização, analfabetismo e alfabetismo/letramento. O material empírico da pesquisa é composto por artigos acadêmicos de revistas de Educação e de Estatística, resumos de dissertações e teses, e por matérias jornalísticas de publicações impressas e digitais. Nas análises mostrei que o saber estatístico opera na produção discursiva da alfabetização de três maneiras: como material empírico, como procedimento metodológico e fazendose referência às estatísticas ou ao saber estatístico. Além disso, mostrei que essa produção discursiva opera com dados estatísticos utilizando tanto percentuais quanto números absolutos para uma mesma informação, trazendo rankings e mostrando dados que possibilitam comparações. A partir das análises pude mostrar ainda algumas estratégias utilizadas para “fazer falar” os dados, como os comentários dos especialistas, e foi possível visibilizar a formação de professores como a causa e a solução para os baixos e para os altos índices de alfabetização e de alfabetismo/letramento. Discuti a invenção dos níveis de alfabetismo/letramento entendendo-os nesta pesquisa como gradiente de alfabetismo/letramento que operam na multiplicação das posições do sujeito alfabetizado. Em síntese, com as diferentes análises realizadas nessa dissertação, mostrei que o saber estatístico opera como um dizer verdadeiro na produção discursiva da alfabetização, do analfabetismo e do alfabetismo/letramento, na medida em que é capaz de produzir saberes que posicionam os sujeitos quando da sua relação com a leitura e a escrita. / This Master Thesis aims to understand how the statistical knowledge constitutes a discourse of truth and how it operates in the discursive production of literacy, alphabetization and illiteracy / literacy. This study falls within the theoretical and methodological framework of Cultural Studies in Education in a poststructuralist strand. Based upon theories of Michel Foucault, the concepts of discourse, truth, biopolitics and governmentality are found here. This paper has aimed primarily to list some historical and technical aspects of the constitution of statistics, because it is assumed that these elements (historical and technical) provide statistics a status of truth. As well as, it was brought the contributions of Michel Foucault to the study of statistical knowledge as a needed knowledge to govern the population. The second motion consisted in researching the ways in which knowledge about reading and writing are quantified, with which instruments, from which understandings about alphabetization and alphabetic literacy / literacy. Thus, some ways of producing statistics on alphabetic literacy, literacy and illiteracy / literacy were analyzed. The research’s empirical material consists of academic papers and magazines of Education and Statistics, besides, newspaper articles of printed and digital publications. The analyses showed that the statistical knowledge operates in the discursive production of literacy in three ways: as empirical material, methodological procedure and by making reference to statistics or statistical knowledge. Furthermore, it was shown that this discourse production operates statistical data using both percentages and absolute numbers for the same information, also bringing rankings and showing data that allow comparisons. The analyses also showed some strategies used to "talk to" the data, as the comments from experts, and allowed visualization of teacher’s educational background as a cause and solution for the low and high rates of alphabetization and alphabetic literacy / literacy. There were discussions on the invention of levels of alphabetic literacy / literacy, understanding them in this research as gradient of alphabetic literacy / literacy operating in proliferation of the literate subjects’ position. In summary, the different analyzes performed in this dissertation showed that the statistical knowledge operates as a real ‘say’ in the discursive production of alphabetization, alphabetic literacy and illiteracy / literacy, as it is capable of producing knowledge that positions the subject related to reading and writing.

Nesta Dissertação de Mestrado tenho como objetivo compreender de que modo o saber estatístico se constitui em um dizer de verdadeiro e como ele opera na produção discursiva da alfabetização, do analfabetismo e do alfabetismo/letramento. Tal estudo se inscreve no referencial teórico-metodológico dos Estudos Culturais em Educação em vertente pós-estruturalista. Inspiro-me nas teorizações de Michel Foucault e utilizo os conceitos de discurso, verdade, biopolítica e governamentalidade. Com o primeiro movimento que realizei no trabalho busquei elencar alguns aspectos históricos e técnicos da constituição da estatística, pois se supõe que esses elementos (históricos e técnicos) conferem às estatísticas um status de verdade. Também trouxe as contribuições de Michel Foucault ao estudo do saber estatístico como um saber necessário ao governamento da população. O segundo movimento consistiu-se em pesquisar as maneiras pelas quais os saberes sobre a leitura e a escrita são quantificados, com quais instrumentos, a partir de quais entendimentos sobre alfabetização e alfabetismo/letramento. Assim, analisei algumas formas de produção de estatísticas sobre alfabetização, analfabetismo e alfabetismo/letramento. O material empírico da pesquisa é composto por artigos acadêmicos de revistas de Educação e de Estatística, resumos de dissertações e teses, e por matérias jornalísticas de publicações impressas e digitais. Nas análises mostrei que o saber estatístico opera na produção discursiva da alfabetização de três maneiras: como material empírico, como procedimento metodológico e fazendose referência às estatísticas ou ao saber estatístico. Além disso, mostrei que essa produção discursiva opera com dados estatísticos utilizando tanto percentuais quanto números absolutos para uma mesma informação, trazendo rankings e mostrando dados que possibilitam comparações. A partir das análises pude mostrar ainda algumas estratégias utilizadas para “fazer falar” os dados, como os comentários dos especialistas, e foi possível visibilizar a formação de professores como a causa e a solução para os baixos e para os altos índices de alfabetização e de alfabetismo/letramento. Discuti a invenção dos níveis de alfabetismo/letramento entendendo-os nesta pesquisa como gradiente de alfabetismo/letramento que operam na multiplicação das posições do sujeito alfabetizado. Em síntese, com as diferentes análises realizadas nessa dissertação, mostrei que o saber estatístico opera como um dizer verdadeiro na produção discursiva da alfabetização, do analfabetismo e do alfabetismo/letramento, na medida em que é capaz de produzir saberes que posicionam os sujeitos quando da sua relação com a leitura e a escrita. / This Master Thesis aims to understand how the statistical knowledge constitutes a discourse of truth and how it operates in the discursive production of literacy, alphabetization and illiteracy / literacy. This study falls within the theoretical and methodological framework of Cultural Studies in Education in a poststructuralist strand. Based upon theories of Michel Foucault, the concepts of discourse, truth, biopolitics and governmentality are found here. This paper has aimed primarily to list some historical and technical aspects of the constitution of statistics, because it is assumed that these elements (historical and technical) provide statistics a status of truth. As well as, it was brought the contributions of Michel Foucault to the study of statistical knowledge as a needed knowledge to govern the population. The second motion consisted in researching the ways in which knowledge about reading and writing are quantified, with which instruments, from which understandings about alphabetization and alphabetic literacy / literacy. Thus, some ways of producing statistics on alphabetic literacy, literacy and illiteracy / literacy were analyzed. The research’s empirical material consists of academic papers and magazines of Education and Statistics, besides, newspaper articles of printed and digital publications. The analyses showed that the statistical knowledge operates in the discursive production of literacy in three ways: as empirical material, methodological procedure and by making reference to statistics or statistical knowledge. Furthermore, it was shown that this discourse production operates statistical data using both percentages and absolute numbers for the same information, also bringing rankings and showing data that allow comparisons. The analyses also showed some strategies used to "talk to" the data, as the comments from experts, and allowed visualization of teacher’s educational background as a cause and solution for the low and high rates of alphabetization and alphabetic literacy / literacy. There were discussions on the invention of levels of alphabetic literacy / literacy, understanding them in this research as gradient of alphabetic literacy / literacy operating in proliferation of the literate subjects’ position. In summary, the different analyzes performed in this dissertation showed that the statistical knowledge operates as a real ‘say’ in the discursive production of alphabetization, alphabetic literacy and illiteracy / literacy, as it is capable of producing knowledge that positions the subject related to reading and writing.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:57:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriani Mello Felix_Dissertacao.pdf: 976089 bytes, checksum: c94038fdabb47bb7ce25e6b0e03a74e0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-20 / This work analyses the historical and discursive conditions of production of curricular reform for High School in Brazil, particularly in Vocational High School Polytechnic. This paper aims at understanding, in the official curricular discourses, how mathematics becomes an important device for conducting subjects via curriculum and public policies addressed by education. This paper discusses the articulations between contextualization, statistical knowledge and mathematics, problematizing its (im)possibilities in such model of curriculum. To do so it was applied Foucault's concept of discursive practices and governmentality. The research used sources from documental analysis with official documents about High School integrated seminar and its Projetos Vivenciais in RS. In order to examine it the author makes some inferences using the concept of polytechnics to approach these projects and their discursive possibilities related to neoliberal governmentality. / Este trabalho analisou as condições históricas e discursivas que possibilitaram as reformas curriculares para o Ensino Médio no Brasil, com um olhar mais atento ao Ensino Médio Politécnico no RS. O trabalho teve o objetivo de compreender, nos discursos curriculares oficiais, como a matemática tornou-se um importante dispositivo na condução dos sujeitos através do currículo e das políticas públicas endereçadas à educação. Estudou-se as articulações entre contextualização, saber estatístico e matemática, problematizando suas (im)possibilidades neste modelo de currículo. Para esta analítica, utilizou-se o conceito de práticas discursivas e governamentalidade em Foucault. O espaço de análise se constituiu dos documentos curriculares para o ensino médio e de sua materialização em Projetos Vivenciais, do seminário integrado no RS. Para tanto, foi realizada inferência ao conceito de politecnia, para abordar estes projetos e suas possibilidades discursivas em relação à governamentalidade neoliberal.

Τα τελευταία χρόνια παρατηρείται μία μεταρρύθμιση στα Αναλυτικά Προγράμματα Σπουδών των Μαθηματικών, διεθνώς, ως προς την θέση που κατέχουν τα Στοχαστικά Μαθηματικά (Στατιστική και Πιθανότητες) σε αυτά. Στη χώρα μας αυτή η αλλαγή συντελείται με την εισαγωγή του νέου Α.Π.Σ. (2011) των Μαθηματικών για την υποχρεωτική εκπαίδευση, στο οποίο η Στατιστική κατέχει ιδιαίτερη θέση. Για να μπορέσει, όμως, το νέο Α.Π.Σ. να εφαρμοστεί με αποτελεσματικότητα είναι απαραίτητο πρώτα οι δάσκαλοι να έχουν κατανοήσει σε βάθος το αντικείμενο της Στατιστικής που καλούνται να διδάξουν. Με αφορμή την διαπίστωση αυτή, στην παρούσα διατριβή διερευνήθηκαν οι γνώσεις που χρειάζεται να έχουν οι υποψήφιοι δάσκαλοι και αξιολογήθηκαν οι υπάρχουσες γνώσεις τους σε σχέση με την ύλη της Στατιστικής που καλούνται να διδάξουν μετά το πέρας των σπουδών τους αλλά και υπό το πρίσμα του Στατιστικού Γραμματισμού. Για τον προσδιορισμό των γνώσεων που χρειάζονται να έχουν οι υποψήφιοι δάσκαλοι αναλύθηκαν τα Α.Π.Σ. (Ελλάδας και χωρών του εξωτερικού) και τα σχολικά εγχειρίδια ως προς τη θέση της Στατιστικής σε αυτά. Επιπλέον, διερευνήθηκαν οι Μεγάλες Ιδέες της Στατιστικής μέσω της βιβλιογραφικής ανασκόπησης. Η διαμόρφωση του θεωρητικού πλαισίου στηρίχτηκε στο πώς ορίζεται η γνώση για την διδασκαλία των Μαθηματικών αλλά και ειδικότερα της Στατιστικής, στην έννοια του Στατιστικού Γραμματισμού και στον διαχωρισμό της γνώσης στην εννοιολογική και διαδικαστική διάσταση της. Η μεθοδολογική προσέγγιση που χρησιμοποιήθηκε εντάσσεται στην ποιοτική έρευνα και βασίστηκε σε έναν αναδυόμενο ερευνητικό σχεδιασμό. Για τους σκοπούς της έρευνας κατασκευάστηκε και διανεμήθηκε ένα ερωτηματολόγιο με ερωτήσεις ανοικτού τύπου σε 100 υποψήφιους δασκάλους και στη συνέχεια διενεργήθηκαν συνεντεύξεις με 15 από αυτούς. Για την ανάλυση των απαντήσεων των συμμετεχόντων χρησιμοποιήθηκε η ταξινομία SOLO (Biggs & Collis, 1982, 1991) σε συνδυασμό με μία μέθοδο αξιολόγησης που έχει προταθεί από την Garfield (1993). Μέσω των αποτελεσμάτων της παρούσας έρευνας αναδείχθηκε ότι η στατιστική γνώση του περιεχομένου των συμμετεχόντων δεν ήταν επαρκής ενώ η παιδαγωγική γνώση του περιεχομένου τους ήταν ελλιπής. Συγκεκριμένα, οι συμμετέχοντες αντιμετώπισαν δυσκολία στο να αξιολογήσουν τις λανθασμένες απαντήσεις μαθητών και να προτείνουν την ενδεδειγμένη λύση. Επιπροσθέτως, σε αρκετές περιπτώσεις επαναλάμβαναν τα λάθη και τις παρανοήσεις των μαθητών. Προέκυψε, επομένως, ότι δεν είναι σε θέση να αναπτύξουν τον Στατιστικό Γραμματισμό στους μελλοντικούς μαθητές τους. Έχοντας ως βάση αυτά τα αποτελέσματα διατυπώθηκε μία ολοκληρωμένη πρόταση εισαγωγής, στα Παιδαγωγικά Τμήματα Δημοτικής Εκπαίδευσης, μαθημάτων που το περιεχόμενο τους θα εστιάζει στην μάθηση και την διδασκαλία της Στατιστικής για το Δημοτικό σχολείο. / This thesis explores the knowledge needed for teaching statistics at the elementary (primary) school level. It is a fact, that statistics has a relatively short history in the elementary school curriculum, compared with mathematics. Recent research in statistics education has prompted a worldwide move away from the teaching of statistical skills, towards a deeper understanding of statistical notions aiming to the statistical literacy of students and subsequently adults. The new nationally mandated curriculum of Greece reflects this move. Consequently, little is known about the knowledge needed to teach statistics effectively. An analytic study of the current literature, including national standards and school textbooks, was conducted to identify the important aspects of statistical knowledge for teaching. Ideas from three contemporary areas of research, namely teacher knowledge (content and pedagogical) in relation to mathematics and statistics, statistical literacy and procedural and conceptual knowledge are incorporated in a framework for exploring knowledge for teaching statistics and for assessing this kind of knowledge. The study’s methodological approach is based on an emergent research design. A written assessment instrument was developed and administered to a sample of 100 prospective elementary school teachers. The purpose of the instrument was to gather data in order to describe teachers’ conceptions for teaching statistics at the level of elementary school. A subset of the sample (n = 15) was interviewed to provide deeper insight into their conceptions and to assure reliability of the instrument. The data produced in response to the written item were examined in light of the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy (Biggs & Collis, 1982, 1991) and a scoring method offered by Garfield (1993). The results of this study indicate that prospective elementary school teachers may not be prepared to teach statistics at the level of depth that is needed according to the new curriculum. Their statistical content knowledge is not enough while their pedagogical content knowledge is limited. In particular, participants showed difficulties in judging students’ answers and identifying students’ misconceptions. There are several implications that are drawn from the results including the importance of a statistics course during teacher preparation programs and careful consideration during the creation of curricular materials, like new textbooks.