An inferentialist perspective on the coordination of actions and reasons involved in making a statistical inference

Abstract

To understand how statistical and other types of reasoning are coordinated with actions to reduce uncertainty, we conducted a case study in vocational education that involved statistical hypothesis testing. We analyzed an intern's research project in a hospital laboratory in which reducing uncertainties was crucial to make a valid statistical inference. In his project, the intern, Sam, investigated whether patients' blood could be sent through pneumatic post without influencing the measurement of particular blood components. We asked, in the process of making a statistical inference, how are reasons and actions coordinated to reduce uncertainty? For the analysis, we used the semantic theory of inferentialism, specifically, the concept of webs of reasons and actions-complexes of interconnected reasons for facts and actions; these reasons include premises and conclusions, inferential relations, implications, motives for action, and utility of tools for specific purposes in a particular context. Analysis of interviews with Sam, his supervisor and teacher as well as video data of Sam in the classroom showed that many of Sam's actions aimed to reduce variability, rule out errors, and thus reduce uncertainties so as to arrive at a valid inference. Interestingly, the decisive factor was not the outcome of a t test but of the reference change value, a clinical chemical measure of analytic and biological variability. With insights from this case study, we expect that students can be better supported in connecting statistics with context and in dealing with uncertainty.

Dynamics in higher education choice: weighing one’s multiple interests in light of available programmes

“…Next, per interest, we identified which interest-based reasons were provided in the interviews through open coding and separately coded interest-based reasons that were related to why they considered pursuing specific interests in their future (interest-to-programme perspective) and interest-based reasons that were related to how programmes would adhere to specific interests (programme-to-interest perspective). Next, to summarize all interest-based reasons of each interest of a student, webs of reasons (Bakker et al 2017) were created for each student (see Figs. 1 and 2).…”

“…As expected, we found the reasons that students provided were interdependent as they contrasted them with each other. This implies that it is important to focus on the whole web of reasons one has for choosing a specific option (Bakker et al 2017), rather than focusing on separate reasons students have for pursuing a specific programme or interest.…”

Inferentialism in mathematics education: introduction to a special issue

“…Bakker et al (2017) note that emotions can be reasons for action and action the reason for an emotion. Reasons are, in their view, relations between entities that can be analytically distinguished but that are in practice interwoven.…”

An inferentialist account of students’ collaboration in mathematics education

“…A considerable number of scholars have pointed out inferentialism's potential to contribute to understanding educational practices (e.g., Bakker et al 2017;Bakker and Derry 2011;Bransen 2002;Derry 2013;Stojanov 2007). According to Dharamsi (2007) Beducational practices are discursive and, as such, inferential and normative^(p. 116, emphasis in original).…”