1998 The Use of Statistics in the Enhancement of Elementary Education in the Philippines
Author: Dr. Lisa Grace S. Bersales & Prof. Wildredo R. Patungan
Abstract:
Statistics, while being widely used in research and a number of other fields, is still an unfamiliar topic among Filipinos. After all, the subject is rarely discussed in primary and secondary curricula and is only introduced as a separate course in university education. In an attempt to produce statistically-literate graduates and to make Statistics more accessible to Filipinos, this study intended to devise an approach to include statistical concepts in primary education. For this, an appropriate framework and a corresponding instructional manual for including Statistics in elementary education curriculum was recommended. To achieve the goals of the study, two different primary education curricula were considered; the DECS and UPIS learning programs. The study found out that both learning pathways needed to integrate statistical concepts in their respective subjects. A learning framework was then constructed which proposed the staggered introduction of statistical concepts in the elementary curriculum. This included basic descriptive statistics such as processing of graphical and tabular data. Additionally, the learning framework recommended injecting inferential statistics at the secondary level, and institutionalizing Statistics as a general education subject in college.
Keywords: