Intuïcions dels alumnes de secundària sobre la probabilitat. Una recerca sobre la influència del treball empíric en el cas d'un esdeveniment compost

This paper presents an investigation with two
probabilistic concepts, the sample space and the
probability of a compound event, made with
13-14 years students. In the field of probability it is
known that effective teaching should be preceded
by research into the primary intuitive substrate of
the relevant subject. In this sense, one of the
objectives of this study is to determinate and
classify the students intuitions about the two
concepts mentioned above. This task was carried
out according to the following parameters: the set
of strategies developed, the understanding of the
situations presented and the nature of the
students arguments in relation to the different
meanings of the concept of probability. To obtain
the data, we used one of the basic skills test
implemented by the Education Department in
2006-2007. Simultaneously, we analyzed the
influence of empirical work in the formation and
modification of the students intuitions. In this
sense, the results of the investigation indicate a
way forward to help students create correct
intuitions showing, at the same time, that the
existence of certain intuitions that can interfere in
their way are often avoidable with the help of
experimentation.