Investigation of 7th and 8th grade students' graphic skills: column, line and circle graphs

The aim of the study is to determine the graphic skills of 7th and 8th grade students through column, line and circle graphs. Since it is aimed to reveal the existing skills of the students regarding graphic skills, a survey research design was chosen. In the 2023-2024 academic year, a "Graphic Skills Test" consisting of questions found in the literature and international exams was applied to 207 students in Kırıkkale city center. The graphic skills of the students were investigated through column, line and circle graphs, and the skills were investigated according to the skills of reading data, reading between data and reading beyond data. As a result of the research, it was observed that the students had no problems in reading the data directly from the graph, but they failed in the questions requiring data reading by performing operations with data. It was observed that students were more unsuccessful in reading between data and reading beyond data than in reading data. It was determined that students made processing errors at the reading between data level and did not know how to use the data. At the same time, it was observed that they could not read beyond the data due to their errors at the data reading and reading between data levels. When students' graphing skills were analyzed, it was observed that students did not title any graph they tried to create and were not successful in choosing the appropriate graph type. It was determined that they did not name the axes in column and line graphs, could not organize the axis with quantitative and qualitative data according to the data and had problems in transferring the data to the graph. In bar graphs, it was found that students who drew the columns together were encountered and students could not create double line graphs. In circle graphs, it was observed that students did not name the circle segments and could not create circle segments in accordance with the center angle. In the definitions made for the graphs, it was observed that the students mostly preferred to make definitions verbally, and in cases where they could not make definitions verbally, they tried to make definitions with examples and drawings, and it was determined that they failed in defining.