Determining the concepts and subjects 6-8. grade maths students have difficulty in statistics and probability learning

The purpose of this study is to determine the concepts and subjects that 6 - 8th grade maths students have difficulty in statistics and probability learning, and to identify the reasons for it. To this end, a questionnaire was developed to detect understanding problems and the semi-constructed interviews were done with students according to the results. Since a two-step research design as quantitative and qualitative was used, a mixed model method was practised. The study was applied to the 6-8. grade students who were graded according to the level of success in the classroom at a private establishment preparing students for various exams and besides continuing their education in 8 various primary schools of different levels located in Bolu city center.This application, in accordance with the purpose of this investigation, was carried out with a total of 418 students at different levels of classes (low, medium and high) comprising (N = 148) 6th grade, (N = 150) 7th grade, (N= 120) 8th grade students. The survey results were transferred to a statistics programme. The percentage for options 'I did not understand anything' and 'I understood a little' was calculated. The cut-off point determined according to the results of difficulty index was set at 15% and above. The notions and issues which the students have difficulty in understanding were listed. Semi-structured interviews were done in order to find out the reasons for having difficulty in understanding those notions and issues. 10 students from each grade consisting of 4 low-level, 4 mid-level and 2 high-level students whose academic achievement determined by taking into account their end grades at Math in the previous year were selected. The results were evaluated after semi-structured interviews were done with these students in order to determine the reasons why they had difficulty in understanding the notions and issues determined according to students' views. According to the findings of the study; it was concluded that 6th grade students had difficulties in the output, the improbability of an event, deceptive graphs, the probability of an event and the arithmetic mean; 7th grade students in complementary event, the probability of non-discrete events, the probability of discrete events, non-discrete event and discrete event; and 8th grade students in the probability of non-discrete events, drawing a pie chart, data interpreting according to interquartile range, experimental probability, histogram interpreting, using central tendency measures relevant to purpose, geometric probability, calculating the area of geometric shapes, and distinguishing the relationship and difference between the combination and permutation. Following results were identified as causes of having difficulty in learning; forgetting the relevant concepts as the class level increases, inability in associating the relevant concepts with the other ones, incompetency in commenting due to learning by rote, insufficiency in construing the concepts truly, and insufficient learning of the concepts based on concrete experiences. One of the recommendations that can be made according to the results of the study is that in order for the concepts and subjects not to be forgotten, the subjects should be dealt with not operationally but conceptually, and statistical and probable interpretations should be focused on.