Intuitive Understanding of Probability in Primary School Students: A Comparative Study of Coin Toss Problems in Serbia and the Czech Republic

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61989592%3A15410%2F24%3A73630522" target="_blank" >RIV/61989592:15410/24:73630522 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.5937/JESMAC2401007D" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.5937/JESMAC2401007D</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5937/JESMAC2401007D" target="_blank" >10.5937/JESMAC2401007D</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Intuitive Understanding of Probability in Primary School Students: A Comparative Study of Coin Toss Problems in Serbia and the Czech Republic

Original language description

With this paper, we try to emphasize the importance of teaching probability in upper grades at primary school, focusing on the need to integrate intuitive reasoning about uncertainty with structured school learning. Within this research, we conducted testing of 1086 students from Serbia (𝑛 = 798) and the Czech Republic (𝑛 = 288) aged 11.5– 14.5, where primary school students do not learn about probability as a part of the compulsory mathematics curriculum, with the aim to test intuitive understandings of basic probability concepts. The test administered to students included problems of varying complexity and difficulty related to tossing one or more coins. Within the test, we wanted to analyze the degree of students’ intuition about the concepts of certain and random events, determining the probability for random events (in the elementary cases), understanding the relative frequency of some random event as an estimate of the probability of that random event, and recognizing independent events. Results of the research indicate that certain, random, and impossible events are well understood in students’ intuition, as well as calculating probability in simple cases and recognizing equally likely outcomes or independent random events. Still, on the other hand, estimating the frequency of the random event (expected value for a binomial random variable) is considerably less intuitively clear to students. Considering the research results, educational institutions can reassess and update curricula to better support students’ development in this important mathematical concept. Integrating basic elements of probability theory into the primary school mathematics curriculum could significantly enhance students’ understanding of random phenomena and probability laws.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_ost - Miscellaneous article in a specialist periodical

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

50301 - Education, general; including training, pedagogy, didactics [and education systems]

Project

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Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2024

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Computer Science

ISSN

3042-2469

e-ISSN

3042-2469

Volume of the periodical

1

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

RS - THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA

Number of pages

14

Pages from-to

7-20

UT code for WoS article

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EID of the result in the Scopus database

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