AMERICAN LANGUAGE HUB_Level2_Student'sBook_Answerkey.pdf
PASE Data and charts KS 2019.pptx
1. The UK’s European university
STUDENT LEARNING
ADVISORY SERVICE
Kasia Senyszyn
StudentLearning Advisor
To do:
- Call Mum
- Laundry
- Check out
SLAS
Using data and charts
2. Welcome
Tables, charts, graphs – what are they
and when to use them
Reading and interpreting TCGs
Using data in text
Top tips
3. Why use tables, graphs and charts?
Numbers in text only work for comparing 2 variables:
86% of male students said they regularly ate breakfast compared to
62% of female students.
Tables are the most common way that numerical data is presented
In your research, you may collate your data this way, but choose to
present it as a chart or graph
Discussing three or more numbers? Time to table…
4. Why use tables, graphs and charts?
Tables: useful when you need to present a quantity of numerical data
in a clear and accessible format and you need to show exact numbers
53% of male students said that they always ate breakfast, 33% said
that they usually did, and 14% said that they never ate breakfast.
Clearer presentation
Male students said they ate breakfast:
Frequency Value
Always 53%
Usually 33%
Never 14%
5. Poor example
No title
No explanation
No source of the information
Row titles straddle two lines
Alphabetical listing results in a non-
numerical ordering of data
6. Better Example
Table 1: Regional differences in adults taking a holiday in
2008 Source: Trends in Tourism
Region %
East Midlands 64
Humberside and Yorks 64
South West 61
South East 60
North West 59
Greater London 56
West Midlands 56
North 54
East Anglia 50
7. Know your graphs
Name: Line chart/graph
Use: Showing trends (how data changes over time)
and relationships (how two variables interact)
The exchange rate of the GBP versus the USD since 1985
8. Know your graphs
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Percentage
Weeks
Figure 1: Relative Frequencies of Factors
Factor A
Factor B
Factor C
Factor D
Factor E
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Percentage
Weeks
Figure 1: Relative Frequencies of Factors
9. Know your graphs
Name: Pie chart
Use: To show proportions of a whole figure
UK domestic expenditure on different types of research (2016)
10. Know your graphs
Name: Bar/column chart
Use: Comparison of values
The current proportion of F/M students by subject area at university
12. Know your graphs
Name: Histogram
Use: Distribution/frequency of numerical data
How much the UK population earns
2015/16 prices
13. Know your graphs
Name: Scatter chart
Use: Relationship between two independent variables
Is there a relationship between wealth and life expectancy?
14. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Figure 1: Value of Factors A & B (2005-2015)
Factor A Factor B
Descriptive vocabulary
1. Peaks 6. Bottoms out
2. Falls off 7. Plateaus
3. Rises sharply 8. Trails off
4. Levels off 9. Overtakes
5. Recovers 10. Tracks
15. Figure 1 shows sales of mobile phones per month. As can be
seen, it covers the years 2014 to 2017 and shows that the
sales of mobile phones declined steadily in 2014, then
remained steady from May until the end of the year. The
sales rose steadily and steeply, throughout 2015, with a
sharp increase at the end of the year, and reached a peak of
6,200 in February 2016. A sharp fall followed, but sales
levelled off at about 5,300 per month in April, fluctuated
slightly through the year, and are now increasing again. The
figures seem to indicate that we have recovered from the
problems in mid-2017 and are on target to improve on our
February 2016 peak by the end of 2018.
Identify the language of change
16. Figure 1 shows sales of mobile phones per month. As can be
seen, it covers the years 2014 to 2017 and shows that the
sales of mobile phones declined steadily in 2014, then
remained steady from May until the end of the year. The
sales rose steadily and steeply, throughout 2015, with a
sharp increase at the end of the year, and reached a peak of
6,200 in February 2016. A sharp fall followed, but sales
levelled off at about 5,300 per month in April, fluctuated
slightly through the year, and are now increasing again. The
figures seem to indicate that we have recovered from the
problems in mid-2017 and are on target to improve on our
February 2016 peak by the end of 2018.
Identify the language of change
17. Figure 1 shows sales of mobile phones per month. As can be
seen, it covers the years 2014 to 2017 and shows that the
sales of mobile phones declined steadily in 2014, then
remained steady from May until the end of the year. The
sales rose steadily and steeply, throughout 2015, with a
sharp increase at the end of the year, and reached a peak of
6,200 in February 2016. A sharp fall followed, but sales
levelled off at about 5,300 per month in April, fluctuated
slightly through the year, and are now increasing again. The
figures seem to indicate that we have recovered from the
problems in mid-2017 and are on target to improve on our
February 2016 peak by the end of 2018.
Identify the language of change
18. Reading graphs and charts
Figure 3 reveals the different sales trends in music media over a 50 year period in the
UK. In 1970 the most popular format for recorded music was the vinyl LP (long player
record) which accounted for 80% of sales. This figure dropped significantly over the
following ten years as sales of cassettes increased. Vinyl LP sales continued to witness
a steady decline. This trend continued until the start of the 1980s, when a third
medium – the Compact Disc (CD) – became available. This technology reached a peak
in 2000 with approximately 90% of all music being sold in this format. Meanwhile
cassette sales, after peaking in 1980 at 25% market share, steadily decreased, such
that by 2010, no recorded music was being bought in this format. With the rise in
popularity of CDs, sales of vinyl LPs saw a corresponding decline in sales to just 2% of
the market share in 2000. However, they avoided becoming obsolete and in the past
two decades have seen a resurgence in popularity. Currently they account for just
under 15% of recorded music sales. CDs have experienced a continued downturn in
sales. By 2020, vinyl LP sales are expected to exceed CD sales for the first time since
the 1980s. Cassettes have also seen a small, niche resurgence, and currently account
for 0.1% of music sales.
25. Using data in text
Graphs, charts, drawings, diagrams and photographs should be
numbered consecutively, as figures, determined by their place in the
text (i.e. First to appear in text = Figure 1; second to appear = Figure 2; third = Figure 3 etc.)
Tables should be numbered using a separate sequence (i.e. Table 1, Table
2 etc.)
Always follow a table, graph or chart with a summary of the findings
Include a title and label axis so it is clear what it is displaying
Tip: Include graphs (presentation) in the body and
tables (collation) in the appendix
26. Using data in text
Numbers are usually given as digits rather than written, e.g. 400 not
four hundred.
Numbers over 1,000 usually have a comma (1,000 vs. 1000)
Some academic journals spell out whole numbers between one and
ten and use values for all other numbers
Make sure all your images are:
• large enough
• high quality
• easy to read
• clearly labelled to explain
what they show
• fully referenced
• colourful and interesting
27. Using graphs and charts in Word
Word has a ‘captions’ function that you can use to
record your tables and figures
28. Top tips
Remember that all charts, data and pictures must be
referenced
A chart or diagram does not speak for itself. Explain its
relevance clearly
Charts/ graphs etc. need to be critically evaluated as
much as any other source
Think about the clearest, most appropriate way to
collate and present the data
What needs to be included? Data vs analysis
29. Get in touch!
Book 1-2-1s and workshops via SLAS
Connect on our website
Pop in (we’re next to the bank) to pick up
study and skill guides
Email any queries or concerns
Follow us on social media to pick up top tips
www.kent.ac.uk/learning
Sometimes words are not the most effective way to communicate
Using graphs, diagrams and charts can give your reader a clearer impression of your research findings
They can also help to make comparisons across data sets
Avoid line graphs where there is little variation in in the data
Watch out for hard to distinguish colour schemes (remember colour-blindness and black/white printing)
Don’t plot more than three intersecting data lines
Label data lines directly if possible (avoid key)
Use different styles to distinguish different data lines
Include gridlines to assist in interpolation (e.g. to see more easily how Factor C has risen from 10% to 25%)
Avoid line graphs where there is little variation in in the data
Watch out for hard to distinguish colour schemes (remember colour-blindness and black/white printing)
Don’t plot more than three intersecting data lines
Label data lines directly if possible (avoid key)
Use different styles to distinguish different data lines
Include gridlines to assist in interpolation (e.g. to see more easily how Factor C has risen from 10% to 25%)
Don’t have more than seven/eight segments in a pie-chart
Don’t include very small segments (less than 2-3%)
Don’t order the segments arbitrarily
Avoid keys for the categories and value labels
Rank segments in order of size (or another meaningful order)
Label segments
Bar = horizontal
Column = vertical
Use of colour helps your reader differentiate results
Categorical data
Don’t plot more than 15 bars on the same chart
Don’t arrange the bars arbitrarily – rank them meaningfully
Keep all labels horizontal
Arrange bars horizontally if necessary (arrange lowest to highest – top to bottom)
Create appropriate ‘bins’ (intervals) eg. 10 years, £1,000 etc
Numerical data vs. categorical data
Distribution of variables vs. compare variables
Continuous – would not make sense to re-order the horizontal axis
Line of best fit can determine relationship
Correlations may be positive (rising), negative (falling), or null (uncorrelated)
If the pattern of dots slopes from lower left to upper right, it indicates a positive correlation between the variables being studied
If the pattern of dots slopes from upper left to lower right, it indicates a negative correlation
Identify language of change: decline, increase, levelled off etc.
There are 11 – identify the first one together, then 10 to find.
Identify language of change: decline, increase, levelled off etc.
There are 11 – identify the first one together, then 10 to find.
Summary of findings – what does the data tell us?
What can we infer from this graph?
What can’t we infer?...
1. Why did CD sales quickly take over from vinyl LP sales?
(i.e., what advantages do CDs have over vinyl LPs)
2. Why did cassettes continue to be popular through the 1990s?
3. Why have vinyl LPs made a comeback – but CDs haven’t
4. What can account for the total fall of the three formats?
What is missing from this graph?
2010 onwards does not total 100% - what format has been left off? MP3? Downloads?
Correlation does not mean causation
Spurious correlation – how and why?
Why would we doubt the reliability of this graph?
Using abductive reasoning – try and account for what is described in the chart
(i.e., suggest reasons for the shift in consumption of butter and margarine)
Possible influence of WWI/WWII
Mechanisation
Population growth
Shift of populations from rural to urban areas
Cost
Storage
Refrigeration (1950’s) Margarine could be spread direct from the fridge.
Health awareness – cholesterol, hydrogenated fats
Celebrity chefs raised awareness of alternative oils – e.g. olive oil
Greater choice in shops – no longer limited to butter or margarine
Alternatives for spreading on bread – cream cheese, peanut butter etc.
In what ways might this chart seem more reliable than the previous one?
Does it suggest a stronger correlation
(Lung cancer deaths – USA – male - 20 year lag)
Is global warming real?
What does this chart suggest?
Why might it be misleading?
Check the usual practice in your discipline
Can also change the label type
Can include chapter numbers
Hyperlinks to the table/figure
Right-click to update as you add/amend (page numbers/whole table)
If you have time – try creating a graph/chart for figure 3 with hand-out
