Preservice mathematics teachers' design of launches for statistical tasks
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
Department/School
Mathematics
Publication Title
Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education
Abstract
The success of teaching through statistical tasks relies upon the way in which the tasks are launched, including the way students are introduced to a dataset and its context. This research study investigates how four key characteristics for launching statistical tasks were included or not included in the planned task launches created by preservice mathematics teachers (PMTs). Five illustrative cases are presented and discussed to exhibit the diversity of launches planned. The findings suggest that a majority of the PMTs created launches that oriented students to the data’s context and provided opportunities to make personal connections to students’ lives. However, many PMTs’ task launches did not include an orientation to the dataset nor motivate the investigation using a statistical question. The key characteristics identified provide a framework for teachers to use when planning for statistical task launches, and implications for teacher education are discussed.
Link to Published Version
Recommended Citation
Hudson, R. A., Barker, H., & Casey, S. (2026). Preservice mathematics teachers’ design of launches for statistical tasks. Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10857-026-09777-8
Comments
S. Casey is a faculty member in EMU's Department of Mathematics and Statistics.