News 9 Apr 2018
Young winners of the Statistics Olympics have been selected – competition entries analysed population statistics with merit
The winners of the national competition of the Statistics Olympics now arranged for the first time have been selected. The winners of the upper secondary school category come from Olari upper secondary school in Espoo, Tietotie upper secondary school in Valkeakoski and Kauniainen upper secondary school. The winners of the secondary school category hail from Lyseonmäki school in Heinola, Pakila school in Helsinki and Maijamäki school in Naantali.
The winners will be awarded during the LUMA days in Tampere in June and they will go on to the European final with young people from eleven other countries.
In the national final, young people from across Finland carried out statistical surveys based on Statistics Finland's population census data. Nine upper secondary school groups and 42 secondary school groups participated in the final.
The competition entries analysed the population based on various variables like family situation, area of residence, education and socio-economic group. Comparison over time was also made in the upper secondary school category.
According to the expert panel that reviewed the entries, most entries had found the key statistical variables and created a survey frame. The upper secondary school entries even included hypotheses and the results had been analysed skilfully.
“We would not have been able to do that at their age. We were happy to see that so many secondary school students participated in the competition. The schools clearly took an interest in this,” the members of the panel commented.
The expert panel consisted of Head of Development Kaija Ruotsalainen from Statistics Finland, University Lecturer Jyrki Möttönen from the University of Helsinki and the mathematics teacher of the year, Kalle Vähä-Heikkilä from Lauttakylä upper secondary school.
The Statistics Olympics are a new Europe-wide competition with the aim to promote statistical literacy among young people in an inspiring way. The first stage of the national competition consisted of multiple-choice questions and the second stage of making the survey. The European final will be carried out in April to May and the winners will travel to Poland in June to be awarded at the Q2018 conference.
Further information about the competition: www.stat.fi/tilasto-olympialaiset