Resumen

We present the main findings of a master’s dissertation study that investigated the contributions that the exploration of combinatorial problems can bring to probabilistic reasoning and vice versa. In the light of the theoretical reference adopted (the theory of conceptual fields), we considered the different situations that give meaning to combinatorics and probability, their invariants and the symbolic representations/strategies used in the solving of the problems proposed. The relations established between combinatorial and probabilistic reasoning were the focus of the study. Data was collected with 24 students of Youth and Adult Education who were attending different phases of basic education. The influence of schooling, of the types of problems and of the order of presentation of these problems in the performance of the students was also analysed. Contributions to the investigated reasoning that emerged from the resolution of combinatorial and probabilistic problems were perceived. Therefore, the teaching of these areas of knowledge in an articulated way is recommended.