Learning and facilitating the new form 1 and form 2 topic of data handling in statistics using TinkerPlots

The Standard Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KSSM) has been exercised in Malaysia through stages starting from 2017 to replace the Integrated Curriculum for Secondary Schools (KBSM) that was practiced for almost 3 decades. All the subjects studied by secondary school students have been modified so that the Malaysian education system is in line with the world-class education. In KBSM, the Statistics subject is taught when students are in Form 4 but under the new KSSM, this subject is now introduced to the students in Form 1 and its continuation is done in Form 2 specifically for the topic of Data Handling. This is a good opportunity to integrate the use of technology to students at this level. The technology chosen for this study is the computer software called TinkerPlots which is a data visualization and modeling tool developed for use by middle school through university students. The purpose of this study is to discover the effectiveness of TinkerPlots as an aid in the PdPc process for the topic of data handling for Form 1 and Form 2 students. The study was done at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kulim. 75 research samples were chosen at random from 4 classes and divided into two groups: the controlled group and the experimental group. The controlled group was taught using the traditional approach while the experimental group was taught with the use of TinkerPlots in a computer lab. The students’ performances from each group were tested at the end of the PdPc to see if there is a difference between their achievements. Then, a survey was done on the experimental group to see if their interests and attitudes towards the topic of data handling and Statistics as a whole have changed. The results indicated that the students in the experimental group improved significantly better after PdPc compared to the control group and the use of TinkerPlots have helped to clarify some concepts that students had previously found difficult to comprehend.