Cuando una gráfica vale más que 1.000 datos: la interpretación de gráficas por alumnos adolescentes

Abstract

The paper analyses graph interpretation by adolescents of different ages through two related experiments. Some of the variables studied involved in graph learning were: graphic structure, structure of the numerical relation, and level of processing (ie. explicit, implicit and/or conceptual information processing). We also analysed the influence of specific instruction and proportional reasoning on subjects' interpretation of information. Experiment 1 studied the influence of graphic structure on learning. Subjects' performance increased when the information was presented in graphic format versus text format, but no significant differences were found between the various graphic formats. Type of learning was mainly superficial and centred on processing explicit information, in contrast with other types of processing that require more elaborate and in-depth learning. Experiment 2 analysed the effect of the data's numerical relation structure on learning. Subjects' performance increased with nominal rather than ordinal graphs, and with graphs with one-variable rather than graphs with two variables. The results support the graphic facilitation hyphothesis and show that the quantitative relation between graphically representated variables affect its processing. The study also contributes interesting results on the type of expertise involved in graph learning. This expertise is related to the content representated, knowledge about its syntax and/or information quantification. © 2000, Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.