Students Subdueing Statistics: Interpreting Graphs and Data Tables

I made posters of five colorful data tables, graphs about catastrophic events and the varying information about location, damage, and impact (see below). I thought they were colorful and that the information was straight forward. Most of my students interpreted them easily but more students than I thought struggled with the meaning and relevance of the information. They didn’t see the big picture, the connections. So I sat down and watched them as they went up to each one. I listened to their ideas and discussions. Then I reflected on why this skill, this very important skill of reading and interpreting graphs is such a struggle for many students. I thought it was just because they do not look at them very often. But it made more sense after I asked them some challenging questions. That was when I recognized the gaps between reading, interpreting and analyzing data representing in tables, data charts and graphs.

In science, it is critical that students be able to interpret graphs and represent scientific information in graphic form. Although graphing skills are taught extensively in mathematics classes, students are often unable to apply these skills to scientific concepts. They can't seem to transfer their knowledge from one subject to another. The inability of students to transfer such basic concepts should be a concern to both science and mathematics educators. Data analysis is the process of interpreting the meaning of the data we have collected, organized, and displayed in the form of a table, bar chart, line graph, or other representation. For students this process involves looking for patterns—similarities, disparities, trends, and other relationships—and thinking about what these patterns might mean. This is the hiccup. They see charts and graphs on occasion but many just ignore them. Although many magazines and newspapers include graphs, the visual depiction of scientific data is something very different from the photographs and illustrations published in magazines read by students. This representation of data may be colorful and dynamic but often students misidentify the data. Why is interpreting different types of graphic data so important?

Students need to understand the importance of context. If students understand the how and why figures were created they can recognize the meaning behind the graph or table. Often there is a bigger picture such as the larger question, experimental approach, or school of thought which are “invisible” to students. As a result, students don’t understand why the figure is interesting or how it relates to the topic being taught. Students also need to be able to think abstractly.  Graphs are an abstract representation of some aspect of “nature” which scientists and students relate to differently. Scientists see raw data while students see numbers. It is important to walk students through the process of interpreting many types of graphic representations because this helps them better understand science and the world around them. Statistics is integrated into daily life we just don't always look at the data it represents.

Active vs. passive learning is also important for students to experience. Generally they simply listen to a teacher’s explanation of a graph or table. They are rarely given an opportunity to look at various representations of the same data. They are not often given enough time to make comparisons and predictions based on the data- at least not in science class. Many studies show that most students learn best by actively engaging with the information (e.g. asking questions, talking and listening to other students, working with data). The more graphs and tables we show them the better they will get at interpreting them. Lastly, students need to bring data tables and graphs into everyday life. In a way, figures are a “language” through which scientists communicate with each other. Students with little experience making graphs and data tables may well not understand the “language” and therefore have difficulty interpreting graphs and tables. In order to communicate results and form an opinion based on research and fact students need to be able to understand data and the various ways it gets drawn, labelled and demonstrated for all to see.