Preservice teachers’ exploration of multivariate data based on personal interests

Podworny, Susanne; Birk, Lisa; Kazak, Sibel; Leavy, Aisling

Abstract

The DataSETUP project addresses the critical need for data science competencies in teacher education by developing short, modular courses for preservice teachers. Based on the DataSETUP framework, these modules guide future teachers through key data science processes, including data exploration, problem formulation, modeling, and results communication. In a pilot study, preservice primary teachers used a real-world dataset to explore digital gaming habits of young people. Findings show that students effectively formulated statistical questions and created visualizations to answer them. However, they tended to select their own topics and struggled to connect their analyses to the module’s thematic context, highlighting both the motivational potential and the challenges of working with large, multivariate datasets.