The same data findings might need to be communicated very differently depending on the audience. Students need to develop the skill of adapting their message, language, and visualizations to match their audience’s knowledge, interests, and needs.
Students studied the relationship between homework time and test scores. How should they adapt their presentation for: (a) younger students, (b) parents, and (c) teachers?
For younger students: Use simple graphs and language like “We found that kids who spend about 1-2 hours on homework usually do better on tests, but more than 3 hours doesn’t seem to help more.” For parents: “Our data suggests optimal homework time is 1-2 hours, with diminishing returns beyond that—quality may matter more than quantity.” For teachers: “Our analysis reveals a curvilinear relationship between homework duration and assessment performance, suggesting efficiency and targeted practice may be more important than total time invested.”
Students should consider: (1) Using colors that work for colorblind viewers, (2) Providing text descriptions of visual elements, (3) Using large enough fonts, (4) Avoiding relying solely on color to convey information, (5) Providing data in multiple formats when possible. This teaches inclusive design thinking from an early age.
A student writes: “Our analysis revealed a statistically significant positive correlation between breakfast consumption and academic performance metrics.” How could they express this in plain language?
Plain language keeps the essential meaning while using familiar words: “analysis revealed” becomes “we found,” “positive correlation” becomes “tend to go together,” and “academic performance metrics” becomes “tests and assignments.” Students should practice expressing complex findings in ways that anyone can understand.
