How Positive Is “Positive”? Teachers’ Orientations Regarding Teaching Statistics Compared to Teaching Fractions

For teaching, not only teachers’ knowledge but also their motivational and emotional orientations are important: they influence teaching practices and student achievement. In statistics education, previous research suggests that teachers have positive orientations, but the exact meaning of ‘positive’ is unclear. A comparison with other mathematical topics might provide clarity here. We therefore asked teachers about their orientations regarding teaching statistics and compared them with fractions. Additionally, we performed cluster analyses to identify teachers’ profiles. The results showed significantly poorer orientations regarding statistics compared to fractions. Cluster analyses revealed three similar profiles in both topics, but the assignment of teachers to the clusters was topic-dependent. Because orientations are assumed acquirable, our findings demonstrate the need to strengthen teachers’ orientations regarding statistics during teacher education.