Data literacy and citizenship: Understanding 'Big data' to boost teaching and learning in Science and Mathematics

Citation

Borges Rey E (2017) Data literacy and citizenship: Understanding 'Big data' to boost teaching and learning in Science and Mathematics. In: Ramirez-Montoya M (ed.) Handbook of Research on Driving STEM Learning with Educational Technologies. Handbook of Research on series. Hershey, PA, USA: ICI Global, pp. 65-79. https://www.igi-global.com/book/handbook-research-driving-stem-learning/171020; https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2026-9.ch004

Abstract
This chapter explores the challenges that emerge from a narrow understanding of the principles under- pinning Big data, framed in the context of the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics. This study considers the materiality of computerised data and examines how notions of data access, data sampling, data sense-making and data collection are nowadays contested by data ed public and private bodies, hindering the capacity of citizens to e ectively understand and make better use of the data they generate or engage with. The study o ers insights from secondary and documentary research and its results suggest that understanding data in less constraining terms, namely: a) as capable of secondary agency, b) as the vital uid of societal institutions, c) as gathered or accessed by new data brokers and through new technologies and techniques, and d) as mediated by the constant interplay between public and corporate spheres and philosophies, could greatly enhance the teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in the framework of current e orts to advance data literacy.