Strengthening the statistical literacy of future occupational safety senior technicians

Abstract

In 21^st century data driven world Statistics are essential in decision-making in the most diverse areas of society. Benefiting from technological advances, statistical graphics have stood out as the most widely used statistical manifestation in everyday life, both due to their essence as a universal language and their potential for organizing, presenting, and transmitting the information contained in statistical data. The ease with which a statistical graph is constructed and disseminated, using the most diverse computer applications available, contrasts with the difficulties and errors that individuals manifest when dealing with these graphic representations. As widely described in the literature on these difficulties and errors, weaknesses in skills associated with graphicacy have been identified in individuals from all strata and sectors of society and areas of knowledge, regardless of their level of education. The professional activity of Occupational Safety Technicians (TST) involves the collection, organization, analysis and reporting of statistical elements relating to occupational safety and health (OSH), to respond to one of the legal obligations of the occupational health and safety services of organizations (Law No. 102/2009 of September 10, and its amendments) and internal communication of organizations, therefore, training for the profession requires that these professionals develop skills that allow them to analyze the data collected, draw conclusions and accurately transmit the information resulting from this analysis. Due to the relevance that statistical graphs assume in the reporting of statistical data processed by TST, these professionals must be aware of the potential and limitations of these data representations. With a focus on strengthening the statistical literacy of future TST students, in particular, their graphicacy, and based in our experience and in the recommendations of studies that address the difficulties and errors associated with the use of statistical graphs, we planned a seminar/workshop aimed at reflecting on the usefulness and suitability of statistical graphs and recommendations to ensure the construction of quality  statistical graphs. In this work we present the general lines of the investigation, based on bibliographical research, which aimed to select the pedagogical content for a two-hour seminar/workshop that would allow students to improve their graphicacy skills. Guiding the research to answer questions related to the importance of the topics to be included, the skills associated with each content and the contextualization of the content in the students' future professional practice, the final product appears as a didactic sequence that aims to stimulate students' reflection on the purpose, usefulness and limitations of statistical graphs, promote critical analysis of the characteristics of statistical graphs and provide students with skills that allow them to construct quality statistical graphs, and the adequate reading and interpretation of graphs present in the media, in technical reports, and scientific papers. The pedagogical resources developed involve practical examples of the most relevant recommendations for the quality of statistical graphics, and a practical activity contextualized in the students' future professional activity.