Statistical Questions

A question that expects different answers, not just one. Statistical questions use data to find patterns or summaries.


Example: "How many pets does each student in our class have?"

This is statistical because everyone might have a different number of pets.

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​Statistical Question

The difference in the data - not everyone answers the same.




In our example, some students might have 0 pets, others 1, 2, or more.

That's variability - and it's what makes a question interesting for data collection!

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Variability

I can recognize a statistical question by checking if it expects variability in the answers.

Not Statistical Questions

Statistical Questions

• How many siblings do students have?

• What is the average screen time?

• How long do students spend on homework?

• How many siblings do you have?

• Did you use your phone today?

• Did you finish your homework?

Here are some ideas to get you started.

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​Let’s Ask Our Own Questions!

• How long does it take students to get to school?

• How many hours of sleep do 6th graders get?

• How many text messages do students send per day?

• You learned what makes a question statistical.

• You practiced identifying and writing your own question.

• Go forth and collect data to answer your question!