LESSON 15.3 SkillBuilder: Investigating
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this SkillBuilder you should be able to locate , select and organise relevant data and information from a range of sources as part of an investigation.
15.3.1 Tell me While studying economics and business, you will develop the skill of investigating. Investigating includes collecting data from different sources about an economics or business issue. An example is looking at price rises for a group of products or property prices between different areas or periods of time, and then presenting the different data sources in a table. You will then be able to identify patterns and draw relevant conclusions. To effectively investigate and collect data, it is good practice to do the following: 1. Understand the purpose of your investigation and what you want to achieve. 2. Next, create speciýc questions to guide your research. These questions keep you focused and on track. 3. Locate reliable information sources such as books, online data, government reports and credible websites. 4. As you gather data, take detailed notes and organise the information for easy analysis. 5. Finally, present the data in tables, charts, graphs or reports to highlight key patterns or differences. 15.3.2 Showme Imagine that you have been asked to collect and organise data from various sources to investigate price rises for a selected group of products. By following the steps below, you’ll develop the skills necessary to understand economic trends and make informed conclusions. Step 1 — Identify the purpose of your investigation Outline what you want to achieve. For example, you might want to understand how the prices of dairy
products have changed over the last ýve years. Step 2 — Create speciýc research questions Create questions that will guide your investigation, such as: • How have the prices of milk, cheese and butter changed over the past ýve years?
• Are there any noticeable patterns or trends in price changes? What factors could have contributed to these price changes? Step 3 — Locate reliable information sources
Gather data from trusted sources such as: • government reports on consumer prices • market research publications
• online databases and reputable websites • historical price records from retailers. Step 4 — Collect and organise data As you collect data, take detailed notes and organise the information in a way that makes it easy to understand.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator