Paper Title
EXPLORATION OF STATISTICAL LITERACY IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: FROM UNDERSTANDING BASIC STATISTICAL TERMINOLOGY TO CRITICALLY EVALUATING INFORMATION

Abstract
In the current era of big data, almost all information is presented in infographics or statistical information. The public to be statistically literate. Statistical literacy involves understanding, interpreting, communicating, and critically evaluating information. This ability is anticipated to be the outcome of mathematical learning in school and to become a resource for students in the future in an information-rich society. The need for statistical literacy arises early in life. Therefore, it is crucial to identify the statistical literacy of school students at an early stage, particularly in junior high school. This research aims to explore the statistical literacy of junior high school students in four aspects: (1) understanding basic statistical terminology; (2) interpreting statistical messages; (3) inferring and making decisions from statistical information; and (4) evaluating information critically. Forty students registered at one of the state junior high schools in East Java, Indonesia, were asked to complete 15 questions, constituting a statistical literacy test instrument. The survey method and data analysis from students' answers after completing the statistical literacy test were conducted qualitatively. Research findings show that students understand basic statistics terms well. Most students can interpret graphed data, except for pie charts, which are still hard. Students also show weaknesses when concluding data and do not evaluate information critically, so students' decision-making methods are less effective and efficient. The conclusion is that junior high school students perform well in understanding and interpreting data but are still weak when concluding, making data decisions, and evaluating information critically. Keywords - Statistical Literacy, Junior High School Student, Exploration.