Stage 4 - Data analysis
The accurate use of data is important as it allows for sensible conclusions to be reached.
How do I process data?
Processing data is changing it to make it more useful. There are many ways to process data, including:
- simple ratioThe relative sizes of two or more numbers, shown as whole numbers. For example, 1:2 or 3:2. - show a relationship between two sets of data and are shown as two numbers which have a colon symbol in-between. Ratios would work well to illustrate the population density of an area.
- proportionalA relationship between two variables, eg in a gas. As temperature increases, the pressure would also increase proportionally. (If the temperature doubled, the pressure would double). - similar to ratio, but are written slightly differently, eg 1 in 10. Proportions would be useful to illustrate the number of tourists within an area.
- averageA value to best represent a set of data. There are three type of average - the mean, the median and the mode. - or measures of central tendency, are commonly taken in three different ways:
- mean - add the total of all values that have been collected and then divide by the number of values
- median - write out all of the numbers that have been collected in numerical order and find the middle number
- mode - the most commonly appearing value within the data
- percentageA proportion representing parts per hundred, for example 9% is 9 out of 100, or 9/100. - can either show proportions or change over time. Percentages would be useful to illustrate land use within an area.
It is important to think about how to justify why the data has been processed in a particular way. Think about what the data tells you, and if it shows any particular trends, patterns or even anomalies.
Wider geographies
It is important that you are able to apply knowledge and understanding of broad geographical concepts and processes to specific evidence collected during the enquiry.
For example, when gathering physical data about river velocity, you would need to refer to river processes such as erosion.
You should also be able to refer to other geographical locations. For example, when gathering human data about local changes in a particular community, you would try to refer to examples of other locations you have learned about within your lessons.