1.3 Statistical Methods

• Types and sources of geographical data
• Methods of data collection
• Sampling methods
• Data analysis: mean, median, mode and range
• Methods of data presentation: tables, graphs, charts and maps
• Interpretation of statistical data

• identify types and sources of geographical data
• describe methods of collecting geographical data
• apply sampling methods in geographical investigation
• calculate measures of central tendency from geographical data
• present geographical data using appropriate graphs and charts
• interpret statistical data and draw conclusions
• appreciate the use of statistics in geographical study

“How do we turn what we observe into evidence?”

“Why does the same data look convincing in one graph and meaningless in another?”

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1. Collecting and analysing geographical data
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Where data comes from, how to sample fairly, and the four figures that summarise a set.
2. Presenting and interpreting data
   40 min · 2 practice tasks · quiz
   Choosing the right graph, drawing it properly, and reading what it actually shows.
3. Types and sources of geographical data in Kenya
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Primary against secondary, quantitative against qualitative, and where a Kenyan investigator actually finds each.
4. Methods of collecting geographical data
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Observation, measurement, counting, questionnaires and interviews, matched to Kenyan fieldwork tasks.
5. Sampling methods in geographical investigation
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Random, systematic and stratified sampling on a Kenyan street, plus the bias that makes a confident wrong answer.
6. Recording data in frequency tables
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Raw tallies become frequency tables, including grouped rainfall and a class travel survey.
7. Mean, median and mode from Kenyan data
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   The three averages practised on rainfall, market prices and a class set, including an even-n median.
8. Range, spread and choosing the right measure
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Range as spread, not centre, and why Kenyan farm size and income data need the median.
9. Bar graphs and line graphs with Kenyan data
   40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
   Drawing honest bar graphs for counties and line graphs for rainfall, with the zero-axis rule.
10. Pie charts and divided bars: Kenya's energy mix
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Calculating pie angles from percentages, checking 360, and using divided bars when two years must be compared.
11. Statistical maps: choropleth, dot and flow
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Choosing choropleth, dot and flow maps for density, counts and movement, using Kenya population and livestock.
12. Interpreting Kenyan statistics and drawing conclusions
    40 min · 1 practice tasks · quiz
    Describe, quote, explain, limit, conclude - practised on rainfall, census change and a scatter that is not a cause.