Prospective primary school teachers’ mathematical knowledge of sampling

Sampling is a fundamental stochastic concept that bridges statistics and probability. Due to its importance, some elementary sampling ideas have been included in the latest Spanish primary education decrees; however, teachers may not be familiar with the topic, and research on the sampling knowledge of teachers is scarce. To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to assess common and advanced mathematical knowledge of sampling of 105 prospective primary school teachers by analyzing their responses to a questionnaire with open-ended questions. Common content knowledge was assessed by asking for definitions and examples of sample and population and by discriminating between correct and incorrect sampling methods. Advanced knowledge was tested by asking for an estimation of the population mean from the sample mean and of the population and proportion in a new sample from the sample proportion. Results indicated better common content knowledge than previous studies and gaps in advanced knowledge. Most participants had a multi-structural understanding of sampling concepts, where several aspects were described but not related to each other. We conclude that there is a need for better preparation of prospective primary school teachers’ sampling knowledge considering the current curricular deepening on this topic, and new research should be oriented toward designing and evaluating related teaching actions.