Graph Interpretation Aspects of Statistical Literacy: A Japanese Perspective

Many educators and researchers are trying to define statistical literacy for the 21st century. Kimura, a Japanese science educator, has suggested that a key task of statistical literacy is the ability to extract qualitative information from quantitative information, and/or to create new information from qualitative and quantitative information. This article presents research that offers a theoretical basis using the SOLO Taxonomy to capture students’ ability to create new information from qualitative and quantitative information. This research shows that the “creation of dimensionally new information” is a complex construct requiring further research and a deeper analysis than Kimura appears to have used.