Conference Program

In an era of pervasive quantification, indicators and metrics increasingly shape how education, health, environment, and governance are understood and managed. Numbers are frequently presented as self-evident outputs, while the assumptions, classifications, omissions, and interests embedded in data infrastructures remain opaque (Markham, 2019). This contribution conceptualises statistical and data literacy as a democratic competence: the capacity to interpret, evaluate, and use quantitative information in collective decision-making, while reflecting on how data are framed and mobilised in institutional communication and public reasoning (Gal, 2002; Watson, 2006).

Grounded in critical pedagogy (Freire, 1970; Giroux, 2011) and scholarship on datafication and algorithmic governance (Markham, 2019), the paper approaches quantitative knowledge as a situated socio-political artefact rather than a neutral tool. A persistent challenge for education is that statistical ideas are often experienced as abstract, anxiety-inducing, and disconnected from lived experience (Garfield, 1995; Ben-Zvi & Garfield, 2004). We argue that theatre-based and role-based pedagogies can support epistemic agency by making data practices visible, experiential, and contestable in a shared learning space—where uncertainty, inference, and evidence become matters for collective deliberation (Braund, 2015; Lee et al., 2015).

We introduce the Theatre of Statistics framework, which brings together classroom drama—immersive, participatory, curriculum-based practices—and science theatre—performances for wider audiences—showing how theatre and drama can enhance statistical and data literacy by transforming abstract concepts into embodied, affective learning (Ødegaard, 2003; Bhargava et al., 2022). We operationalise the framework through two prototypes: a theatre-based format for younger learners (in development) and a climate-negotiation live action role-play in which participants represent countries with conflicting interests and use indicators, graphs, and sources to build claims, respond to critique, and negotiate collective priorities (Heras & Tàbara, 2014). The activity foregrounds evidence-based argumentation and the social consequences of reasoning with data under uncertainty (Wild & Pfannkuch, 1999), treating data literacy as a democratic practice of public justification and accountability.

Preliminary findings from our pilot survey suggest positive signals in perceived understanding and attitudes toward data, accompanied by high student engagement. Overall, the study illustrates how performative formats can connect knowledge, data, and democracy by making statistical reasoning observable, affordable, and pedagogically actionable within educational settings.