Competencias en lectura e interpretación de gráficos estadísticos de la prensa en futuros docentes de matemáticas en Italia y Portugal

Abstract

Citizens are today constantly being provided with information from both electronic and in its traditional media, such as, for example, written newspapers and magazines. Much of this information comes in the form of statistical data that provides credibility and accuracy to the news. And among these data, statistical graphs stand out as instruments that, theoretically, help to quickly identify the relevant information. Therefore, it’s essential that citizens are able to read and interpret these graphs critically and effectively. In particular, these skills must be present in future teachers, according to their responsibility for training of tomorrow's citizens. In this paper, we analyze the statistical graphic skills in prospective teachers from Italy and Portugal, with two types of graphics widely used in the press: line graphics and pictograms. The results of the study show an insufficient statistical training in some of these skills, making the correct reading and critical interpretation of graphics harder.