Teachers’ perceptions on implementing the renewed statistics curriculum for senior general secondary education in the Netherlands

Abstract

The new mathematics curriculum for senior general secondary education (grades 10-11, ages 15-17) includes a new vision on statistics education. The focus shifts from calculating and drawing to interpreting and reasoning with understanding the underlying statistical concepts. To implement the renewed statistics curriculum, change has to occur along the dimensions of materials, teaching approaches and teachers’ beliefs. This research project evaluates the implementation of the innovation by investigating teachers’ perceptions through twenty-one in-depth interviews. The results suggest that some of the original ideas seem to be lost, namely focusing on statistical understanding and constructing a coherent network of statistical concepts. All teachers recognize the growing importance of statistics, but some teachers lack knowledge or skills to explain the background of statistical concepts within a framework of different research activities. Teacher training focusing on the investigative cycle, exchange of good practices and a revision of the textbooks and the syllabus could contribute to a successful implementation of the renewed statistics curriculum.