Development of cognitive mobility when teaching probability theory and mathematical statistics to students using digital solutions

Introduction. Modern society, exposed to the impact of global trends, imposes special requirements on the training of students, their ability to think creatively and “flexibly”, to quickly navigate in the developing information world, and to adapt to digital technologies. The fundamental education that contributes to the development of the above abilities is mathematical education, in particular its probabilistic-statistical component. The search for and improvement of efficient didactic practices of teaching probability theory and mathematical statistics, based on the use of digital tools, with the aim of achieving such an important educational effect as the development of cognitive mobility, is of scientific interest and determines the purpose of the work Materials and methods. The study was conducted on the basis of the Yelets State Ivan Bunin University (Russian Federation). The experimental sample included 71 educational institutions of secondary vocational education. Questionnaires and testing were used to assess the degree of formation of cognitive mobility indicators; pedagogical observation and experiments were used to determine the efficiency of various forms, methods, and means used in teaching probability theory and mathematical statistics; one-way analysis of variance was used to assess the impact of the proposed training course on the development of cognitive mobility in general, and Fisher’s multifunctional criterion was used to identify the educational effect expressed in exceeding the threshold value for above-average and high levels for each of the components of cognitive mobility in the experimental and control groups. KEYWORDS Results. The developed structural and functional model made it possible to identify the mechanisms of formation and development of cognitive mobility components in the process of teaching probability theory and mathematical statistics using digital solutions, strengthening students’ skills of work with various software tools for modeling, data analysis, and visualization of results. The identified methodological features of organizing the training course on the basis of digital tools: CourseLab, PhET, MK, WolframAlpha, and BlackBox, made the learning process more efficient and interactive due to the advancement of students’ subject knowledge, its successful application in practice and in their own research, and improvement of decision-making skills in situations with elements of uncertainty. The implementation of the methodology resulted in an increase in the development level of the reflexive component in experimental group students by 26% (φ = 1.803; p < 0.05), and the activity component by 17% (φ = 2.027; p < 0.05). Discussion. Positive changes in the development levels of cognitive mobility components attest to the effectiveness of the implemented methodology. The demonstrated students’ abilities to think creatively and independently and to quickly switch and adjust to different types of activities show the formation of the motivational, activity, and reflexive components of cognitive mobility in the process of teaching probability theory and mathematical statistics using digital solutions.