Abstract:

The abundance of data and information characterizes the contemporary world. Social, political, and economic decisions, as well as everyday practices, are mediated by numbers, percentages, indicators, and statistical evidence circulating globally. Therefore, education must prepare citizens to read, interpret, and critically evaluate information derived from data, making statistical literacy an essential life skill.

This paper presents and analyzes a training experience developed for undergraduate students in Basic Education at a university in northeastern Portugal, on learning the Statistical Investigative Cycle, PPDAC: Problem, Planning, Data, Analysis, and Conclusions. The proposal aimed to promote the development of statistical literacy and investigative thinking in initial teacher training. But we went further: PPDAC+A—Problem, Planning, Data, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action —emphasizing the importance of the action stage as a final moment of reflection. This approach aligns with the Essential Mathematics Learning for basic education (ages 6-12) and the Portuguese document on the Profile of Students Leaving Compulsory Education, which values autonomy, the critical and ethical use of information, and the ability to interpret and intervene in the world based on real data.

The training experience presented adopts a qualitative descriptive approach to report on undergraduate students' engagement in the PPDAC, using real data to explore themes of healthy eating, use of the "Open Food Facts" mobile app, and the Nutri-Score system as sources for data collection and analysis. The activities were structured according to the stages of the PPDAC cycle, integrating digital technologies, graph creation, and the presentation of results in a poster. Forty-five 3rd-year students from the Data Analysis course participated, and the formative experience titled "Discovering Statistics with Nutri-Score" was part of the project work on descriptive statistics, linking Statistics, Food Education, and Citizenship. We document the project stages and analyse the students' opinions from a final survey.

The results highlighted the formative potential of the PPDAC in developing the ability to formulate questions, analyze and interpret statistical information, and communicate conclusions. Additionally, the importance of promoting experiences that connect statistics to real life was emphasized, thereby strengthening understanding of statistics in health education and citizenship.

In one of the students' words: “First, we applied concepts of statistics and data analysis using real data from the Open Food Facts mobile app, which allowed the students to understand consumption patterns, differences between foods, and how Nutri-Score objectively categorizes products. We also learned how to interpret nutritional information. This helped us understand that products that appear healthy are not always good, and vice versa. Another important learning experience was working with graphs and visualizing data, particularly in creating the poster. We had to select the most appropriate types of graphs, organize the information clearly, and present it visually, thereby developing communication and information synthesis skills. In addition, we learned to work in teams, divide tasks, organize time, and collaborate to achieve a common goal. We also gained greater awareness of eating habits. Finally, we realized that statistics are present in our daily lives.”

Keywords:

Initial teacher training, Investigative cycle of statistics, Food education, Citizenship.