Navigating the Conceptual and Critical Demands of Data Literacy in High School Spaces Using Firsthand Data

Abstract

Curriculum efforts to promote data literacy continue to evolve in K-12 spaces to meet the larger need of developing data-informed citizens. The learning objectives of these efforts tend to shift from conceptual data literacy objectives such as demonstration of adequate statistical reasoning to critical data literacy objectives such as empowering students to design, collect and analyze data to serve their needs. However, most studies do not delineate between these objectives, often giving an incomplete picture of student understanding of data, and the effectiveness of the curriculum in meeting these two data literacy objectives. In this paper, we study the outcomes that emerged from a curriculum unit designed to empower students to collect, analyze and present data from their neighborhood. We specifically evaluate the conceptual and critical data objectives of 14 high school students. Our findings indicate that students struggled to demonstrate equal competence in conceptual and critical data literacy goals.