Reporting Skills and Professional WritingReporting Skills and Professional Writing In the next module you will turn your analysis into a plan for writing, and in process can apply

Reporting Skills and Professional Writing

© ELD Training 2010www.eldtraining.com 44

2B3: Analysing and Interpreting Information Don’t be put off by the seriousness of the title for this module. Quite simply, analysis is looking at things in different ways and from different perspectives in order to understand them better. Yes, there are a lot of analysis tools and each has its supporters. Each tool is useful, and helps us look at the information we have gathered in a different way. Now let’s define a ‘tool’. The Oxford dictionary says ‘a thing used to perform a particular job’. And our job is to understand the data so we can communicate our analysis to our readers. So, we don’t need a dozen different tools to do this – we just need enough to get the job done well. Tools should also be simple to use. They have to be efficient. A good example is a hammer – anyone can use it, and it doesn’t come with an instruction manual. It’s intuitive, and achieves the result simply and with little effort. We agree that analysing data is a very advanced field, but there are certain basics which everyone can easily apply.

23BReview your Objectives

Remember these? Before we start trying to make sense of the data collected, always start by reviewing the purpose you undertook the research for in the first place. This will help you organise your data and not get distracted. For example, a full evaluation as described in Module Two would need to be analysed as follows: For other types of evaluation:

If you are conducting an investigation into project strengths and weaknesses, you can organise data into project strengths, weaknesses and suggestions for improvement.

If you are evaluating processes, to fully understand how your project works, you could organise data in the chronological order in which end users go through your project.

If you are conducting an outcomes-based evaluation, you can sort data according to the indicators for each outcome.



24BAnalysing Quantitative Data

Quantitative data is primarily for data gathered from surveys, questionnaires and checklists: yes / no, ranking, etc. This will be relatively easy to analyse if you have designed your questionnaire thoughtfully. That means that the range of question types (yes / no / don’t know; ranking e.g. 1 – 5; multiple choice) should not be too varied so they lend themselves to easy analysis and you have also gathered other information about the respondents (e.g. gender, education, location, etc.). Initially, the data can be represented visually – pie charts and graphs – or in table form. However, remember we never ‘let the facts speak for themselves’ – nothing is so clear that it requires no explanation. Some examples follow, from a country-wide public opinion poll of a developing nation (Nepal). At the time of the survey, the country was facing extreme poverty, as well as internal conflict between its King, Government and rebels. First, try yourself to identify the important issues each graph / chart illustrates and add comments after each graph. It is OK if these are different from our suggestions which follow. Remember, the interpretation of any data will always depend to some extent on our research objectives and what for us, as researchers, is important or significant. Data is never neutral.



92BTask

These results are based on 5000 interviews using a stratified random sampling method. DK / CS means ‘Don’t Know / Can’t Say’, i.e. no definite opinion. For each chart, write your interpretation of the data. Chart 1: How is the country’s overall situation?

5%

34%

57%

3%1%

Same as everBadGetting worseGoodDon't Know / Can't Say

Chart 2: Opinion on country’s overall situation by education level

IlliterateLiterate

Primary LevelSecondary Level

CollegeBA and above

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Don't Know / Can't Say GoodGetting worseBadSame as ever



Chart 3: Who is responsible for the current situation?

6%1%

32%

1%33%

27%

Don't Know / Can't Say Foreign PowersThe KingThe PeopleThe Political PartiesThe Rebels

Chart 4: What do you think of the Rebel Insurgency?

9%

25%

6%

60%

Don't Know / Can't Say It's OKIt's RightIt's Wrong



Illiterate Literate Primary Level Secondary Level College BA and above0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Don't Know / Can't Say Military Solution / Rebel SurrenderNegotiation between the King, Political Parties and RebelsNegotiation between the Political Parties and RebelsNegotiation between the King and Rebels

Chart 5: How can the Rebel Insurgency be Solved?

22%

7%

61%

4%6%

Negotiation between the King and RebelsNegotiation between the Political Parties and RebelsNegotiation between the King, Political Parties and RebelsMilitary Solution / Rebel SurrenderDon't Know / Can't Say

Chart 6: How can the Rebel Insurgency be Solved? Breakdown by Education Level



Chart 7: Views on monarchy by age group

18-30 years 31-50 years 51 and older0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Don't Know / Can't SayMonarchy is unnecessaryCeremonial MonarchyAbsolute MonarchyConsitutional Monarchy



Discussion Our Interpretation for Charts 1 & 2

5%

34%

57%

3%1%

Same as everBadGetting worseGoodDon't Know / Can't Say

IlliterateLiterate

Primary LevelSecondary Level

CollegeBA and above

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Don't Know / Can't Say GoodGetting worseBadSame as ever

Very few people are satisfied with the state of the nation, with over 90% who consider the situation bad or getting worse. Interestingly, almost no-one says ‘don’t know / can’t say’ – everyone has an opinion. Perceptions differ according to the level of education of respondents. Those less educated are more concerned with the current situation, while, as the level of education increases, there is more awareness / concern over worsening trends. If we assume that a low education level can generally be related with low income, we may have a global truth that people who are extremely poor are too concerned with meeting their daily needs to look beyond the immediate situation – however this is an assumption which is not given in the data.



Our Interpretation for Chart 3

6%1%

32%

33%

1%

27%

Don't Know / Can't Say Foreign PowersThe KingThe PeopleThe Political PartiesThe Rebels

The country seems to be split three ways about who is responsible for the current situation. Around one third each blames the insurgents, the King and the political parties. However, the majority of the blame seems to be placed equally on the King and insurgents. However, this graph could support each party in claiming that the others carry the major responsibility.


9%

25%

6%

60%

Don't Know / Can't Say It's OKIt's RightIt's Wrong

Despite the blame placed on insurgents for the current situation, they still have substantial support. Nearly one third still feels that the insurgency is ‘right’ or ‘OK’. However, the majority of the population (60%) clearly considers the insurgency to be wrong.




22%

7%

61%

4%6%

Negotiation between the King and RebelsNegotiation between the Political Parties and RebelsNegotiation between the King, Political Parties and RebelsMilitary Solution / Rebel SurrenderDon't Know / Can't Say

Nearly all respondents (over 90%) are in favour of some form of dialogue. Most (61%) would like to see a tripartite solution involving all three key actors in the conflict; although one-in-five believes the solution should be sought without the involvement of the political parties. What is clear is that a military solution, either through suppression by the military or through surrender by insurgents, is not considered to be the way out of the current situation.



Illiterate Literate Primary Level Secondary Level College BA and above0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Don't Know / Can't Say Military Solution / Rebel SurrenderNegotiation between the King, Political Parties and RebelsNegotiation between the Political Parties and RebelsNegotiation between the King and Rebels


Broken down by education, there are some differences in opinion on how to resolve the insurgency. As education level increases, more people consider the role of the political parties important. About 70 percent of respondents with higher university degree opt for ‘political parties-rebels-King dialogue’ compared to 51 percent of illiterate respondents. Similarly, 15 percent of respondents with advanced education prefer a dialogue between the political parties and rebels, whereas 4 percent of illiterate respondents proposed this.




18-30 years 31-50 years 51 and older0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Don't Know / Can't SayMonarchy is unnecessaryCeremonial MonarchyAbsolute MonarchyConsitutional Monarchy

The younger population sees a less important role for the monarchy. Compared to older groups, fewer younger people see the monarchy as necessary. The strongest desire for a constitutional monarchy is expressed by the 18–30 age group, whereas more people in the 50+ age group would prefer to see an active role for the King.



93BSome Final Considerations

Make sure you back up all your original data and store safely.

Usually, you never need to present all your data – just the points which are relevant to your argument (the rest can be annexed).

Put the information into a table, i.e., add up the number of ratings, rankings, ‘yes’ and ‘no’s for each question.

If presenting a table, highlight the key points.

Convert your table into graphs or pie charts to see if it communicates visually – visual messages are always stronger.



25BAnalysis of ‘Qualitative’ Data

Data is Never Neutral In our opinion, everything is qualitative. I don’t see a great distinction between the ‘facts and figures’ in the previous section and what is generally termed qualitative data – answers to interview questions, results of Focus Group Discussions. The simple reason for this is that data is never ‘neutral’: everything means something. In the ‘quantitative’ examples earlier (Opinion Poll) we saw that each data set was illustrated visually and explained / interpreted. In short, the quantitative was transformed into qualitative. The Case Study / Extended Exercise that runs through this programme (‘Children in Nepal’) will allow you to develop those skills of developing a whole and synthesised analysis of any data, one that ‘speaks’ to both left and right sides of the brain.The different functions of the brain hemispheres are discussed later in this section, and it is useful to have some understanding of this, as it applies to so many aspects of the Writing Process. Our analysis must be ‘whole-brained’: even our paragraphs have to synthesise qualitative interpretation with quantitative, unambiguous supporting ‘information’.



26BThe Three Steps of Analysis

There are three main steps of analysis of qualitative data. These are: 1. Read through all the information: it’s often a struggle but this is the best place to start. Try to make sense of the information as it is, piece by piece. With each fact, ask yourself, ‘What does this mean?’ Your brain will struggle to comprehend the information. Significance and linkages will be hard to identify. Don’t worry – this ‘stretching’ stage is a little uncomfortable, just like an athlete may feel a little stiff at first. Remember, you are just warming up, familiarising yourself with the data. 2. Cluster the information: organise the facts, opinions, ideas and comments into similar categories. From interviews or FGDs these may be worries, suggestions, strengths, weaknesses, similar experiences or recommendations. Label the categories. Again, you will struggle with this. The left side of the brain likes things neat and tidy, each idea in a little ‘box’: the right side insists on completeness and strives to identify connections. Some ideas fit neatly in the labeled box, but some comments present more problems. They seem to belong everywhere (i.e. in several of the boxes) – these are crosscutting themes or issues. Some seem to be ‘orphans’ – they don’t appear to belong in any other cluster until we better understand how the whole picture fits together. Although this stage does involve some compromise, it is important in helping us see the ‘shape’ of the information as a whole and allowing us to take some level of control over the information 3. Identify patterns, associations and relationships in the themes: are there similar concerns or opinions? How does information in one ‘box’ connect to information in another ‘box’? Very often these will be cause and effect. These linkages allow us to see how the information fits together as a whole – essential for us to fully understand and, as a result, be able to effectively explain to our readers.



156BExtended Task

This Case Study / Extended Assignment forms the core practical work of this programme, and we will return to it frequently. This will give you an opportunity to extend your knowledge beyond the frequent tasks, and develop a report from scratch that illustrates and reinforces all the ideas we are sharing with you. Earlier in the module on Setting Objectives you selected methods to gather data on the children’s status in Nepal. We will be working with the data, starting with a fact sheet or raw, unprocessed ‘information’ and, through various stages, deepen our understanding and finally develop our plan.In the next module you will turn your analysis into a plan for writing, and in Module Seven (‘Putting it all Together’) you will then follow the plan. At the end you will be happy to see the results – both in terms of ease of learning as well as in the quality of the report you produce. Believe us – thousands of people have done this before you, and there is nothing in a workshop setting that is missing here. (In fact, this programme is much more complete than any training.) The data is real, and the fact sheet has not been edited in any way – this is exactly as the data reached us, directly from one Child Rights NGO. We did not manipulate the information in any way, to prove that this process can apply regardless of how hopeless the task seems at first. In the next task you will be practising Step One, ‘Read through all the Information’. First, however, let’s remind ourselves of the scenario.



94BStep One: Read through all the Information

Based on a Desk Study and interview with various child rights experts, you have collected the following data: Out of one hundred children:

49% are girls

51% are boys

93% live in the villages

7% live in cities

80% are immunised

56% are malnourished

40% belong to extremely poor families

70% are admitted to school, but only 53 complete primary level

79% of boys and 61% of girls are enrolled in primary level

52% of the total population are children below 18 years

Only 71% of the population have access to potable water

The total population is 24 million

Every year about 779,000 babies are born

Every year 78,000 children die

Every day 206 children lose their life

45,000 children die of diarrhoea every year

There is only one Children’s Hospital

There is one child specialist to 102,671 children

There are 23,885 primary schools

2.6 million children are engaged in different sectors of child labour

Twice as many girls as boys in the 10 – 14 age group are at work

At least 40,000 children are bonded labour

5000 children are living / working on the streets

Every year 1500 pregnant mothers out of 100,000 die during childbirth

Annually, 5000 – 7000 women are trafficked to neighbouring India.

34% of marriages involve children below 15 years of age

Approximately 100 children are in adult prisons with their parents



The first step of this task is very simple. Read through and familiarise yourself with the information. Read as many times as you like. There is no need to struggle to make sense of it right now. Just take it in. If you want to, you may even want to postpone the second step until tomorrow. Take a piece of paper and write a few ‘conclusions’. What strikes you as significant? How would you answer if someone asked you about the children’s situation? There’s no right or wrong answer here. This is just the first step in the familiarisation process. After you have finished, compare with a colleague (if you are working through this programme with others), and then put those conclusions aside. You may use them later: and maybe you won’t.



157BExtended Task

Now, get ready to get your brains working. You are going to work through the data line by line. (It will help if you cover the list with a piece of paper and focus on each piece of data individually.) Discuss with colleagues or note down your answer to the question:What does this mean? Feel free to note down your thoughts and any questions you have.Again, there is no right or wrong answer. It’s what the data means to you that counts. At the end of this process, it’s your conclusions you will be presenting in your report. As the expert, you have the responsibility and authority to explain the information to ‘speak on behalf of the facts’.So, simply go through line by line and see what happens. We’ve started the process for you by noting our thoughts in the right-hand column of the worksheet below. Use the worksheet to add your own thoughts, ideas or key words.



FACTS THOUGHTS

49% are girls 51% are boys

OK, so there are more boys than girls. Not a big difference, though, in comparison to the global ratio for 0 – 15 years of age. So, it’s not really clear yet whether this is a difference or it’s just minor. Let’s wait and see …

93% live in the villages 7% live in cities

OK, this is pretty obvious. Most children live in villages. But what does that really mean in terms of their situation? Hmm, well, maybe they are less likely to get an education or other social services. More likely to have a traditional way of life also.

80% are immunised

I’m not sure about this. Is 80% good or bad? Maybe need to look at WHO web site or something … (later) well 80% isn’t all that good. Really, it has to be over 85% for widespread prevention of Early Childhood Diseases. On the other hand, look at where the children actually live. I think this is more of an achievement than a shortfall – even though 1 in 5 isn’t protected.

56% are malnourished OK, this is widespread and serious. If over half of children don’t get enough to eat …


70% are admitted to school, but only 53 complete primary level




The total population is 24 million





Every day 206 children lose their life















158BPossible Solution

Here are some of our thoughts as we worked through the data.

FACTS THOUGHTS

49% are girls 51% are boys

OK, so there are more boys than girls. Not a big difference, though, in comparison to the global ratio for 0 – 15 years of age. So, it’s not really clear yet whether this is a difference or it’s just minor. Let’s wait and see …

93% live in the villages 7% live in cities

OK, this is pretty obvious. Most children live in villages. But what does that really mean in terms of their situation? Hmm, well, maybe they are less likely to get an education or other social services. More likely to have a traditional way of life also.

80% are immunised

I’m not sure about this. Is 80% good or bad? Maybe need to look at WHO web site or something … (later) well 80% isn’t all that good. Really, it has to be over 85% for widespread prevention of Early Childhood Diseases. On the other hand, look at where the children actually live. I think this is more of an achievement than a shortfall – even though 1 in 5 isn’t protected.

56% are malnourished OK, this is widespread and serious. If over half of children don’t get enough to eat …


This also looks like a widespread problem affecting children.

70% are admitted to school, but only 53% complete primary level

The enrolment rate isn’t really up there in the high numbers. Still, this is a mainly rural population, so access might be tricky. Perhaps that’s not so bad after all. Wow! But look at the completion rate. That’s something like half the population not finishing primary level.

Why don’t the other 30% even start? And why do they drop out? Is it poor quality of education, is it the parents’ attitudes or is it poverty? Who drops out more – boys or girls? Questions, questions …


OK, that is a very big difference. Boys are clearly favoured in education, girls are not. No real surprises there.


And here. Access to water doesn’t guarantee hygienic practices, but it is a precondition. No wonder diarrhoea kills so many.



52% of the total population are children below 18 years The total population is 24 million

That’s a lot of children. A young population, and not many of them in education, either. Looks like a social and economic accident waiting to happen …

Every year about 779,000 babies are bornEvery year 78,000 children die Every day 206 children lose their life

Got my calculator out, and it seems that’s over 10% child mortality. Looking at other countries’ rates, that is pretty high.


That is a big proportion of child death caused by diarrhoea – over half. That would make it the number one cause of child mortality. Serious.


Well that is definitely not enough. And, of course, it’s going to be in the capital city. One children’s hospital and 12 million children … hmmm … doesn’t look like a case of ‘putting children first’ …


Same again. Not a good ratio, looks like half the population isn’t getting taken care of. I think we can see some more reasons for the high mortality here…


OK, time for the calculator again. Looks like a ratio of one primary school per 150 children. I wonder where those schools are – more likely to be in urban areas. Even if they are evenly distributed, can a rural school actually reach so many kids? Not sure if there are enough or if they are accessible enough … otherwise wouldn’t enrolment at primary level be higher than just 70%?


Well, once we exclude children too small to work, that’s a huge number. I wish we had more specific definitions here of ‘child’ and ‘labour’ – but that’s the constraint when we get secondary data. It may be faster, but we are limited to what we get. Even so, around ¼ of children are working, and that’s high.




OK, now we know where the girls go when the boys are at school … and who fetches the water


According to my dictionary, bonded labour is a form of slavery, where you have to work to pay off a family debt to a landowner. 40,000 is not a huge number, but that’s something that definitely shouldn’t be happening in this century.


OK, that’s not so large a number either, but street children are a serious issue. All children have the right to shelter and safety.


This doesn’t seem to fit here at all. I thought all this data was about children … wait – these mothers are probably children themselves, too immature to bear children safely.


Like street children, trafficking is one of those high profile issues that get people’s attention. I assume by women we mean mainly young girls … serious stuff, even if the numbers aren’t so high. But, then again, how do we get accurate data about these hidden problems?


This is a shocker! First, because it’s so widespread: and secondly because it’s so serious. Looks like these remote areas are way behind the rest of the world on this. And my guess is it’s going to be the girl who is usually the younger partner.


Children growing up in prison? Serious stuff, even if it is just 100 children.



159BDiscussion

That was certainly a tiring task, especially if you worked through it without a break. There was a lot of information to process (left brain), while the right hemisphere of the brain kept trying to put the pieces together. Note that occasionally we had to: 1. Calculate ratios; 2. Limit ourselves, in some cases, to accepting that our data was imperfect;3. Ask ourselves questions; 4. Make assumptions; and5. As we progressed through the data, started to link some of the facts together.1 & 2 are what we call left-brain functions. The left hemisphere of the brain is dominant when dealing with facts and figures. When we exercise our right hemispheres – the ‘creative’ and ‘imaginative’ side of the brain – we get 3, 4 & 5, where we try to make ‘sense’ of the data coming in. The upcoming steps are designed to help us involve our synthesising skills and spatial awareness more, involving our right hemispheres in the process of analysis. This part of the task gives you an opportunity to practice Stage Two: Clustering the Data.



95BStep Two: Clustering

Don’t worry, things get easier. The last step was quite hard work: we are not easily capable of processing such a long list of information without some fatigue. Now we are going to start to get more involved with our data, by actually physically manipulating it and trying to bring some order. We call this stage clustering.

160BExtended Task

Find an open surface free of clutter (an empty desk, perhaps) and print out and cut up the task cards on the worksheet below. Take a few minutes to play around with the cards, seeing which ones ‘belong’ together and which don’t. Try to bring some sense of order to the data by grouping them in any way that makes sense to you.

49% are girls Every day 206 children lose their life

51% are boys 45,000 children die of diarrhoea every year

93% live in the villages There is only one Children’s Hospital

7% live in cities There is one child specialist to 102,671 children

80% are immunised There are 23,885 primary schools

56% are malnourished 2.6 million children are engaged in different sectors of child labour

40% belong to extremely poor families Twice as many girls as boys in the 10 – 14 age group are at work

70% are admitted to school, but only 53% complete primary level





Every year 1500 pregnant mothers out of 100,000 die during

childbirth



The total population is 24 million 34% of marriages involve children below 15 years of age






161BDiscussion and Possible Solution

With the exercise you have just done (Clustering) you have tried to bring some sense of ‘order’ to the data. While this is a very useful tool when analysing our data, you may have noticed some issues such as:

While some things obviously belong in the same ‘box’, some things don’t seem to belong anywhere. For example, some things are most definitely ‘education’ or ‘health’. But what about ‘children in prison’? Where does that fit?

Some things seem to belong in more than one box. For example, ‘access to water’ seems to be ‘general’ information, but also seems closely related to health, especially the widespread Child Mortality due to diarrhoea. Deciding where to put these things can be difficult.

Some things seem to be general, and end up clustered together just because there are no other boxes – just as one desk drawer might be a place where we store everything that doesn’t fit anywhere else.

All the time we do this exercise our right brain is constantly trying to get involved, suggesting links and associations. However, the left-brain focus of this exercise can get frustrating. Don’t worry – we will look at how to synthesise the data after we have finished breaking it down. First, here is a suggested initial order for the data. We will refine this a little later. (Although this is a ‘box thinking’ exercise, we have clustered the data visually, as with many of the concepts presented so far in this guide. We will further develop our visual understanding of the data in Step 3.)In this ‘solution’ we have one box of ‘general’ information – population, sex, location and basic needs. Notice we decided that ‘access to water’ belonged under general information – we felt that putting it in the ‘health’ box would mean it getting lost. We have two boxes that were easy enough to complete – ‘health’ and ‘education’. With the last two boxes we ran into some difficulties. There seems to be a lot about labour, but also a lot of other things, too. And we feel uncomfortable about putting street children in that box, too, even if they are at work; their situation is quite different from most child labourers.





The idea of a ‘gender bias’ box crossed our minds. But that would have really complicated the task, as we would have had to dip into all the other boxes – girl education, maternal mortality, girl labourers – to pull that together. (We will deal with gender bias as a cross-cutting issue later.) Our solution to this was to merge the two boxes and call this something like ‘Social Issues Affecting Children’ or ‘Rights’. So, now we have 4 clusters:

General Information (population, sex, location, basic needs)

Children’s Education

Children’s Health

Children’s Rights



Extended Task (Cont.)Now we are going to break the data down a little further. See if within each box you can find sub-groups of information. For example, the ‘Health’ box could be further subdivided into:

Child mortality

Causes of mortality

Access to health services Try to identify further sub-groups within the four clusters of data.




In the suggested solution, notice that:

We have added sub-headings where necessary

We have broken down the General section into two sub-groups to make the information clearer

Under the heading ‘Health’ we have prioritised our sub-headings as Mortality (biggest indicator of health and development of a nation), Causes of Mortality, and, finally, Access to Health Services. Causes of Mortality have been ranked in order of size.

Education has been similarly sub-classified using Order of Importance

We now have five rights-related issues, and the sequence for these is from largest to smallest.



GENERAL

Demography The total population is 24 million 52% of the total population is children below 18 years 49% are girls 51% are boys 93% live in the villages 7% live in cities Basic Needs 56% are malnourished 40% belong to extremely poor families Only 71% of the population have access to potable water

HEALTH

Mortality Every year about 779,000 babies are born Every year 78,000 children die Every day 206 children lose their life Causes of Child Mortality 45,000 children die of diarrhoea every year 80% are immunised Every year 1500 pregnant mothers out of 100,000 die during childbirth Access to Health Services There is only one children’s hospital There is one child specialist to 102,671 children

EDUCATION

AccessThere are 23,885 primary schools Enrol / Complete 70% are admitted to school, but only 53 complete primary level Gender Disparity 79% of boys and 61% of girls are enrolled in primary level

RIGHTS

Labour2.6 million children are engaged in different sectors of child labour At least 40,000 children are bonded labour Twice as many girls as boys in the 10 – 14 age group are at work Early Marriage 34% of marriages involve children below 15 years of age TraffickingAnnually, 5000 – 7000 women are trafficked to neighbouring India Homeless / Street Children 5000 children are living / working on the streets ImprisonmentApproximately 100 children are in adult prisons with their parents



96BInterim Summary

At this point let’s pause and reflect on the steps we have covered so far. We began with a list that made very little sense. Certainly, some ideas were quite obvious from reading through, but getting this real picture was still quite difficult. By working through the data, item by item, we started to get a better understanding. We started to notice associations and links, and ask ourselves questions. Some conclusions were starting to form. Clustering the data gave us an opportunity to take some control over the information. By experimenting with different ways to order the information we started to see how the ‘big picture’ might fit together. However, there were some times when some information just didn’t fit anywhere, while some information seemed relevant to everything. However, by this point we were starting to see a structure where we could hang our ideas. Further refining the data gave us even more control, as within the main areas of Health, Education and Rights we could see a sequence for presenting our ideas. At this point, you would actually be ready to write a pretty good report. However, it would not yet be an excellent report. Remember in Module One we identified the responsibilities of a reporter being to:

Investigate

Analyse

Understand

Describe

Explain We could certainly describe the situation based on the work we have done so far. However, we need to further analyse if we are to fully understand the situation, and if we are going to be able to explain the true ‘picture’ to our reader then we need to get our right brain more involved. So far we have been using mainly traditional methods of critical thinking. In the next section we are going to look at Mind Mapping. We will use the Mind Mapping tool for Step Three: Identifying Patterns, Associations and Relationships.



97BMind Mapping

A Mind Map is a diagram used to represent words and concepts around a central key word or idea. We can use maps to:

Brainstorm ideas

Visualise concepts

Structure our thinking

Classify our ideas This makes Mind Mapping a useful and versatile tool in problem analysis. Your map has an image at the centre and branches lead off to the different connections. Because Mind Maps are radial and non-linear, they encourage a non-judgmental, brainstorming approach. While mapping you do not need to worry about logic – you simply get the ideas into a visual, interconnected form. Usually the map involves images, words, and lines. While mapping we try not to ‘analyse’ in the traditional sense: we use our intuition to organise the information.



There are many maps throughout this programme, and you can find an enormous number of examples on-line which illustrate how Mind Maps are constructed as well as their enormous versatility and idea-capturing power. Here are the basic rules: 1. Start in the centre with an image that captures the topic, using at least three colours. 2. Use images, symbols, codes and dimensions throughout your Mind Map.3. Select key words and P-R-I-N-T using upper case letters. 4. Each key word/image must have its own line – do not use sentences. 5. The lines must be connected, starting from the central image. The central lines are thicker, organic and flowing, becoming thinner as they radiate out from the centre. 6. Make the lines the same length as the word/image. 7. Use colours throughout the Mind Map. 8. Relax and have fun.Steps 1 – 8 ensure that all the data is connected together around the central idea. There are two further steps which we will cover later after we have got all the data in visual form.





Extended TaskWe will now map the data on Children in Nepal. First, familiarise yourself with the ‘rules’. If you want, take some time out and go on-line to browse for some other examples, to get a feel for Mind Mapping. Most of the Mind Maps in this course were done with Mind Mapping software. Even if you have such software, do this task by hand so you are more involved and not distracted by the software itself. Follow each step before looking at our suggested solution. (Remember, Mind Maps are personal. The only important thing is that you get the information into the map in your own way.) Take a large piece of paper. A3 is good, flip chart paper is even better. Make sure you have a good selection of colours and markers. Thick permanent markers will be very useful for the centre of the map and for drawing branches, while a set of coloured felt-tipped pens will be more useful as you reach the outer parts. In the centre of your paper, draw a picture that captures the topic we are mapping (Children in Nepal). OK, I hope that was fun. You don’t have to be a wonderful artist, but is important to use lots of colour (wakes the visual part of our brains) and get involved. This will help ideas flow more intuitively and freely. Next, we can use our original clustering to give us our main branches. These were:

General Information

Children’s Education

Children’s Health

Children’s Rights We will draw thick branches from the centre of the map, and on top of each branch we will write one key word only using capital letters (make them stand out). Make sure the words and branches are the same length. The right brain loves harmony, symmetry and balance. Try to think of a symbol or image that goes with each branch and draw those also. Now it’s time to develop the map further, and start developing the branches. Again, I will remind you to:

Use one key word per line

Use images, codes, symbols and colour wherever you can

The lines should get thinner as you reach the outer edges of your map. Again, work through this yourself before looking at the maps that follow





Branch of Map dealing with ‘General’ information



Branch of Map dealing with Health



Branch of Map dealing with Education



Branch of Map dealing with Rights



The Complete Mind Map



98BQuantitative to Qualitative

At this point we should have a good grasp of the data and be ready to start drawing our conclusions. While this section has a ‘serious’ title, it’s pretty straightforward. All we need to do is turn the numbers into adjectives. Remember we are still at the Analysis stage – not yet Drafting or Editing. You should continue to associate your ideas freely, and not judge or restrict any ideas that come up.This means that as well as relatively neutral, descriptive language, e.g. widespread, serious, high, limited, etc., you can also use subjective and emotive words such as shocking, disturbing, and so on. Let’s take the General section of the map as an example.

So, if we were asked at this point to describe the general situation, what could we say? We would be able to do this without giving our audience any numbers and statistics (supporting data) and simply say: Nepal is a rural country with a youthful population and more or less the same number of boys as girls. Children suffer from widespread hunger and poverty and access to water is limited.

Certainly, when we write, we will develop and support these ideas with ‘facts and figures’. But right now we are simply trying to generalise from our specific data. This is just the same as when someone asks ‘How are you?’ Our reply would normally be ‘Not too bad, thanks’ or ‘I’m fine’, rather than specifics such as our heart rate, blood pressure and serotonin levels.



163BExtended Task

For the other three sections of the map, work through all the data and, wherever possible, insert an adjective. Our suggested solution follows. Health



Education



Rights



99BStep Three: Identify Patterns, Associations and Relationships

At this point we are fully able to describe the situation. Now let’s look at how we can use the Mind Map to help us explain. We are going to start identifying the links between one part of the map and another – the cross-cutting issues. When we come to Drafting, these links will also be very important in making sure our reader internalises the same ‘picture’ we see.Some of these issues were quite obvious early on, for example, gender bias; and the link between child mortality through diarrhoea to access to water. Others will start to appear as you go through this process.

164BExtended Task

Take any piece of data as a starting point. Is there any other information on the map that has a connection? This will usually be a cause or an effect. If there is, draw a line linking it to the associated data. You may find that some items have just one ‘partner’, while others may reach out to many diverse parts of the map. On the next page you will see we have illustrated all the points related to Gender Bias, using the ratio of boys to girls as our starting point.



Example: Gender Discrimination against Girl Children

Now explore your map and make links and associations wherever you can.




Consequences of Poverty



Problems Facing Children Living in Remote Areas



Consequences of Limited Access to Water



Low Government Priority for Children



Consequences of Early Marriage



27BEndnote

This is the end of the module on Analysing and Interpreting Information. Of course there are a great many other tools we can use, but you will find these can easily be integrated into the three main steps of:

Read through all the information

Break down / cluster the information

Identify patterns, associations and relationships We began this module by looking at how quantitative data, even when made visual using graphs, is still open to interpretation. Remember that whenever you present information in this way you will need to indicate exactly what your interpretation is. State the ‘message’ for your reader clearly and unambiguously – data is never ‘neutral’. A major part of this module was devoted to working through the analysis of the extended assignment. We will take this analysis further soon, but at this stage we certainly have a thorough understanding of what the data actually means. We began the analysis with a long list of ‘facts’ which, in themselves, did not portray the situation clearly. Working through the first step, we looked at each point in turn and tried to understand its significance. Next, we took the information and tried to identify a structure. By breaking it down into major themes and sub-sections we took control over our information. We saw how some information could naturally be clustered with other facts; and that some things were harder to place. Even so, at this point we had a framework to ‘hang’ our ideas onto. In the third step we made this framework visual. Mind Mapping the data allowed us, literally, to see the ‘big picture’, and not just the pieces. The process of mapping allowed us to involve our creativity and intuition, increasing the depth of our understanding. Stepping back from the map, we were able to draw some clear conclusions about the tangible problems. And, finally, exploring the cross-cutting issues and linkages allowed us to uncover some of the issues that underpin the poor status of Nepalese children. We will return to this extended assignment as we progress through the remaining modules.

Documents

Reporting Skills and Professional WritingReporting Skills and Professional Writing In the next module you will turn your analysis into a plan for writing, and in process can apply