Intuïcions dels alumnes de secundària sobre la probabilitat. Una recerca sobre la influència del treball empíric en el cas d'un esdeveniment compost

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation with two probabilistic concepts, the sample space and the probability of a compound event, made with 13-14 years students. In the field of probability it is known that effective teaching should be preceded by research into the primary intuitive substrate of the relevant subject. In this sense, one of the objectives of this study is to determinate and classify the students intuitions about the two concepts mentioned above. This task was carried out according to the following parameters: the set of strategies developed, the understanding of the situations presented and the nature of the students arguments in relation to the different meanings of the concept of probability. To obtain the data, we used one of the basic skills test implemented by the Education Department in 2006-2007. Simultaneously, we analyzed the influence of empirical work in the formation and modification of the students intuitions. In this sense, the results of the investigation indicate a way forward to help students create correct intuitions showing, at the same time, that the existence of certain intuitions that can interfere in their way are often avoidable with the help of experimentation.