Family Data Collection
Family Data Collection · Years 8–10
Ngā Whāinga Akoranga · Learning Intentions
- Investigate a significant question using evidence from multiple sources
- Analyse and evaluate information to form and support a reasoned position
- Connect learning to real-world contexts, including Aotearoa New Zealand settings
- Communicate understanding clearly and accurately for a specific audience
Paearu Angitu · Success Criteria
- I use at least two sources and can evaluate their credibility
- My position is clearly stated and supported by specific evidence
- I can connect my learning to at least one real-world Aotearoa context
- My communication is clear, organised, and appropriate for the audience
Family Data Collection
📋 Designing a whānau survey — the full statistical inquiry cycleThe Statistical Inquiry Cycle (PPDAC) is the process statisticians use to answer real questions with real data: Problem → Plan → Data → Analysis → Conclusion. In this handout, you will design and conduct a genuine survey about your whānau — asking questions about everyday habits like screen time, chores, sleep, or hobbies (never health, income, or other personal/family matters — see the boundary in Part 2) — then analyse and display your findings. If you would rather not survey real whānau members, Part 3 gives you a composite practice dataset to analyse instead. Either way, your conclusions will say something true about the question you asked.
Part 1 — Te Ara Tōrite: The PPDAC Cycle
Your investigation question must be:
Example question: "How many hours of screen time per day do members of my whānau have, and does this vary by age group?"
- Write your own investigation question. It must focus on your whānau or a specific group of people you have access to. Identify: the variable(s) you will measure, the population, and why this question matters.
- List THREE possible variables you could measure in this investigation (e.g., age, screen time, hours of te reo spoken per week, favourite physical activity, hours of sleep). For each, identify whether it is numerical (can be measured with numbers) or categorical (belongs to named groups).
Part 2 — Hoahoa Uiuinga: Designing Your Survey
A poorly designed survey gives useless data. The following principles will make yours valid and reliable.
| Principle | What it means | Bad example | Better version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarity | Questions must have ONE clear meaning | "Do you exercise a lot?" | "How many minutes of physical activity did you do last week?" |
| Neutrality | Avoid leading questions | "Don't you think fast food is bad for you?" | "How often do you eat fast food? (Daily / 3–5×week / 1–2×week / Rarely)" |
| Appropriate scale | Match scale to what you need | "Are you healthy? Y/N" | "Rate your health 1–10 (1 = poor, 10 = excellent)" |
| Privacy | People need to feel safe to answer honestly | Asking names with sensitive questions | Anonymous survey with age range instead of birth year |
| Manaakitanga | Respect the tikanga of your participants | Rushing kaumātua through a survey | Asking permission first; offering to read questions aloud |
- Write a survey with 5–8 questions that will investigate your question from Part 1. Include at least: one numerical question (with units), one rating scale (1–5 or 1–10), one categorical question (with response options listed), and one open-ended question. Apply ALL the design principles from the table.
- Identify who you will survey (minimum 8 people). How will you sample them? Are they a random sample? If not, what bias might this introduce to your results?
- Boundary — check this before you survey anyone: Do NOT ask about income, medical or health conditions, mental wellbeing, or relationships. If your question from Part 1 touches any of these, change it — screen time, chores, sleep, hobbies, te reo spoken, and similar everyday habits are all safe topics. If you would rather not survey real whānau members at all, skip ahead and use the composite practice dataset in Part 3 instead.
Part 3 — Whakaatu Raraunga: Display Your Data
If you surveyed real whānau, record your raw results in the blank table below (adapt columns to your variables). If you used the composite dataset instead, use the filled table underneath it — it is fictional practice data, not any real person's, for the investigation question "How many hours of screen time per day do members of my whānau have, and does this vary by age group?"
| Respondent # | Age / age group | Variable 1 | Variable 2 | Variable 3 | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | |||||
| 2 | |||||
| 3 | |||||
| 4 | |||||
| 5 | |||||
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| 10 |
Composite practice dataset (fictional — not real people):
| Respondent # | Age group | Screen time (hrs/day) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5–9 | 1.5 | weekday average |
| 2 | 5–9 | 2.0 | weekday average |
| 3 | 10–14 | 3.5 | weekday average |
| 4 | 10–14 | 4.0 | weekday average |
| 5 | 10–14 | 2.5 | weekday average |
| 6 | 15–19 | 5.0 | weekday average |
| 7 | 15–19 | 4.5 | weekday average |
| 8 | 30–44 | 3.0 | weekday average |
| 9 | 30–44 | 2.0 | weekday average |
| 10 | 45–59 | 1.5 | weekday average |
- Choose your most important numerical variable. Calculate: mean, median, mode, and range. Show all working.
- Display your data in TWO different graph types below (e.g., bar graph + pie chart, or dot plot + histogram).
Label axes with units. Include a title for each graph.[ Graph 1 — draw here ][ Graph 2 — draw here ]
- Write a conclusion paragraph (100–150 words) that: states what you found, connects findings back to your original question, identifies ONE limitation of your survey, and suggests what you would do differently with a larger sample size.
- Whānau connection (only if you surveyed real whānau): Did any finding surprise you? Was there something in your data that prompted a conversation with a whānau member? Describe one insight your survey gave you about your family that you didn't have before. If you used the composite dataset, skip this question.
📊 Whakamutunga — Ngā Tangata, ngā Tatauranga
The greatest statisticians are not those who can calculate most quickly — they are those who ask the most important questions. In Māori epistemology, knowledge of your whānau is foundational: knowing who they are, what they need, and how they flourish is the basis of manaakitanga and rangatiratanga. Your survey is a small act of that kaitiakitanga — using mathematics to understand and serve the people you belong to.
Te wero: Present your findings to your whānau. Ask them: does this data match your experience? What did it miss? What would THEY want to measure about your whānau wellbeing?
🌿 Ngā Rauemi Hono — Related Resources
Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment
Curriculum alignment for this handout has not yet been verified against the live curriculum statements. A generated placeholder that stood here was removed on 2026-08-29 because it matched no real statement.
Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts
Reflect on your learning. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?
Aronga Mātauranga Māori
This resource sits within a kaupapa that recognises mātauranga Māori as a living knowledge system with its own frameworks, values, and ways of understanding the world. The New Zealand Curriculum calls for learning that reflects the bicultural partnership of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which means every subject area has an obligation to engage authentically with Māori perspectives — not as cultural decoration but as substantive contributions to how we understand our topics. The concepts of manaakitanga (care for others), kaitiakitanga (guardianship), whanaungatanga (relationship and belonging), and tino rangatiratanga (self-determination) provide a values framework applicable across all learning areas, and all are relevant to the work in this handout.
Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Resources already provided
This handout is designed to be used alongside other resources in the same unit. This handout stands on its own; it is not part of a linked unit planner. All content is provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.
Curriculum alignment
- Focus of this resource: Understand how cultural identity shapes participation in society — whakapapa, tikanga, and mana as foundations of Māori identity in Aotearoa New Zealand.