Teachers page: Internet access: urban vs. rural

Curriculum links

This activity is linked to the following curriculum elements and NCEA assessment standards

Mathematics and Statistics Curriculum
Level 4 S4-1
Plan and conduct investigations using the statistical enquiry cycle:

• determining appropriate variables and data collection methods
• gathering, sorting, and displaying multivariate category, measurement, and time-series data to detect patterns, variations, relationships, and trends
• communicating findings, using appropriate displays.

Level 5 S5-1
Plan and conduct surveys and experiments using the statistical enquiry cycle:

• determining appropriate variables and measures
• using multiple displays, and re-categorising data to find patterns, variations, relationships, and trends in multivariate data sets

Level 6 S6-1
Plan and conduct investigations using the statistical enquiry cycle:

• justifying the variables and measures used
• identifying and communicating features in context (trends, relationships between variables, and differences within and between distributions), using multiple displays
• justifying findings, using displays and measures.

NCEA
Level 1 Mathematics
AS90193 – 1.5: Use statistical methods and information

Background

 This activity uses the 2006 Census SURF dataset to investigate people’s access to the Internet in urban and rural areas. It is designed to give students practice in using data to answer a problem they are given.

Your approach will decide which parts of the dataset to use. The regions chosen below were selected as they have some interesting aspects to them, but teachers and pupils are encouraged to investigate other regions as well.

Sample answers

Task 1

Use the 2006 Census SURF dataset to investigate if there is a difference in Internet access in different parts of New Zealand.

Students will need to consider which regions around New Zealand can be used to represent rural and urban communities. The Auckland and Wellington regions are acceptable as urban regions, but rural regions are a little more problematic. Gisborne and the West Coast regions are two that have few urban areas, but other regions can also be chosen to represent rural areas. Below are sample tables and graphs that students may produce for Gisborne, West Coast, Auckland and Wellington regions, grouped by the categories rural and urban.

Students need to present percentages in the tables and graphs.

Access to Internet at Home
Auckland, Wellington, Gisborne and West Coast regions
Based on 2006 Census

Do you think there might be other reasons for the patterns you have found? Internet access can be dependent on more than location, particularly as technology improves and wireless transmissions become more common. Income and age are variables students could investigate.