This study follows an earlier study of school students' abilities to draw inferences when comparing two data sets presented in graphical form (Watson and Moritz, 1999). Forty-two students who were originally interviewed in grades 3 to 9, were subsequently interviewed either three or four years later. The results for individual student development add to the credibility of the cross-age observations, as well as support the hierarchical framework suggested by the original study. Changes in levels of performance and strategies for drawing conclusions are documented. A further step from the original study is the consideration of how students used the variation displayed in the graphical presentation of the data sets as a basis for decision-making. Implications for teaching and for further research are discussed.
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