Data handling in the primary classroom: Children's perception of the purpose of graphs

The National Curriculum programme of study for Science 1 in England and Wales states that pupils should be encouraged to develop investigative skills and understanding of science through activities which “promote the search for patterns in data and the ability to make simple predictions based on findings” (Department of Education and Science, 1991, p. 14). In order to search for patterns children have to first understand the purpose of graphs and the relationship of variables. This paper describes some of the preliminary findings of the Data Handling in Primary Science Project. The majority of primary school children, involved in a data handling project (Rodrigues, 1994), see graphs in science as an end product to be displayed. In addition the children appeared to have a very limited understanding for the type of graph employed being determined by the variable involved. Furthermore whilst some of the children were able to read information from a graph, the language used had a marked effect on cueing the response. Specializations: use of information technology in primary science, chemistry curriculum development.