Part 3: Summary and Analysis

Part 1: Inquiry Focus

Part 2: Research

Part 4: Proposal

Summary and Analysis - where all your answers (and credits!) come from...

So you've completed your research or, if Level 3, you've completed the first part of your research. Now comes the most important part, the part where all of your credits are earned!!!!

Summary and Analysis is critical because it uses your research data to come up with an idea that is useful for solving your issue or need. In other words, analysis is all about the "so what?".

What you're going to do is use it to guide your decisions to justify an original digital outcome.

For Level 3, what this analysis also does is refine your inquiry focus.

Summary (The facts):

A concise wrap-up of your background research. Condensing your information, reporting the main ideas you found, recording in your own words.

What you need to do:

In this column, you are reporting back on exactly what you found. You should condense the main ideas into your own words without adding your opinion yet. Think of this as a clear list of the key information from your sources.

Sentence Starters:

"According to the research, the main features of [Topic] are..."
"My sources identified that a common problem for [End Users] is..."
"The data shows that there is a high demand for..."
""The author states that the most effective way to [Action] is by..."

Some examples

It might be easier to understand by looking at a few examples. So here you go...

Summary and Analysis Examples

Analysis (The critique):

This is an examination of what those findings actually mean. It's the "so what" section. This is where you judge the significance of what you found. You need to explain why this information matters to your inquiry.

You are showing that you have a deep understanding of which facts are actually important for your project.

Sentence Starters:

"This finding is significant because it proves that..."
"This matters for my inquiry because it highlights a major gap in..."
"The importance of [Fact] cannot be overstated because it is the foundation for..."
"This information is critical because it changes how I view the problem of..."

Application (The decision):

Finally, you must justify your design choices based on your research. Explain exactly how this information will be used in your proposed digital outcome. This is the Application.

Sentence Starters:

"Based on these findings, I will include [Feature] in my digital outcome to..."

"To address the problem of [X], I am proposing that my outcome will..."

"Because the research suggests [Y], I have decided to design my interface with..."

Extra Merit Step: "A future opportunity for this project could be to [Action], which would have the impact of..." (Level 3 only)

Now have a go yourself for each of your questions.

Level 3: A refined inquiry

Following the summary and analysis of your first inquiry questions, and suggestions of its use to inform a digital outcome., you are required to use the results of the research and analysis to guide the establishment of a refined inquiry focus. The refined focus is likely to be narrower and/or more detailed than the original focus, and focus explicitly on the more technical side of creating a digital outcome.

You need to "bridge" your old research to your new questions, justifying why you are refining it. This shows the marker that the inquiry is a continuous process, not just two random lists of questions.

You could present your bridge into your Refined Focus using this structure:

The Bridge: "My initial research taught me..."
The Shift: "Therefore, I am shifting my focus from the [broad idea] to [the outcome focused research].
The New Questions: "To do this, I will now investigate: [Question 1] and [Question 2]."

Here's this as an example:

"In Part Three, I analyzed that youth feel 'disconnected' from the dolphins because they can't see them underwater. I am refining my focus to look at how sound design can create an 'immersive' underwater experience to engage the viewer. To do this, my refined question is: "How can natural and musical soundscapes in nature documentaries be used to build empathy?"

In this example, we haved moved from "Dolphins are cool" to "How do I use audio engineering to make the audience feel like they are in the water?"

Refined inquiry summary and analysis

Now it's time to repeat the sources, summary, and analysis process for your two further refined questions.

Merit and Excellence extras

Level 2 - Implications and perspectives (Merit)

This section is required for Merit

Here's what NZQA says: "Evidence is required of a detailed examination of the implications that the proposed outcome may have, and an evaluation of the different perspectives that may arise from the proposed outcome."

To succeed in this section, you must look at your research and proposed digital outcome from different angles.

What issues (implications) could impact on your outcome?

Implications are the real-world considerations, rules, or impacts that you must address to make your outcome successful and responsible.

You should refer to the DigiTech Implications Guide (below) to choose the most relevant ones for your project. For example:

Social: Does your outcome have a positive impact, or could it misrepresent a group?
Legal: Does your work follow New Zealand laws, such as the Privacy Act or Copyright Act?
Accessibility: Can people with disabilities (e.g., colour blindness or impaired vision) use your outcome?
Cultural: Is your outcome culturally appropriate? For example, are you using Te Reo Māori correctly?
Privacy: How will you keep personal data safe and secure?

You'll need to explain at least 3 implications.

Implications

Here's an example answer:

Legal (Copyright): "I should address the legal implication of Copyright. According to the Implications Guide, I cannot just use any song from Spotify for my soundtrack. I should instead use 'Copyright Free' tracks from a library like YouTube Audio Library or record my own ambient sounds to ensure I am not infringing on someone else's Intellectual Property."

Social: "I should consider the social implications of how I represent the local community. The Implications Guide mentions being inclusive. I should ensure that my documentary includes a diverse range of voices from the community, not just one person's point of view, so that the final outcome is fair and representative of the whole area."

Whose views (perspectives) are important to consider?

Perspectives are the viewpoints of different people or groups involved in or affected by your outcome. You need to look beyond just the "user." For example:

End Users: The people who will actually use your outcome. What do they need it to do?
Stakeholders: People who have an interest in your project but might not use it directly (e.g., a business owner, a teacher, or a community leader). What are their goals or concerns?
The Developer (You): Your own technical and creative viewpoint. What are your constraints or your vision for the design?

You'll need to consider at least 3 perspectives.

Here's an example answer:

The End User (The Audience): "I should consider the perspective of my target audience, which is Year 10 students. From my research, I know they prefer fast-paced content. If I make the documentary too 'academic' or slow, I will lose their engagement. Therefore, I should use a mix of upbeat background music and quick-cut editing to keep their attention."

The Stakeholder (The Expert): "I should consider the perspective of the local Park Ranger I interviewed. Their main concern is that the documentary must show the 'Leave No Trace' principles accurately. They are worried that showing people off-track might encourage bad behaviour. Because of this, I should ensure all my footage shows people staying on the marked paths."

The Developer (Me): "From my own perspective as the filmmaker, I need to consider my technical limits. I am filming on a smartphone, so I should focus on using natural lighting and a tripod to ensure the final outcome looks professional despite not having high-end cinema cameras."

Level 2 - Insightful conclusions (Excellence)

This section is required for Excellence

To help you reach Excellence, you need to do more than just list what you found. You must synthesise your work. This means taking your research, the perspectives you’ve gathered, and the implications you’ve studied, and "knitting" them together to explain why your proposed outcome is the best solution.

An "insightful conclusion" explains the connection between different parts of your inquiry.

How to "Synthesise" your own conclusions:

To write your own, try using this "formula":

The Trigger: "Because my research showed [X]..."
The Connection: "...and the [Perspective/Implication] of [Y] means that..."
The Justification: "...I have concluded that my outcome MUST include [Z] to be successful."

Write at least two conclusions

Here are a couple of examples of how I would write these for a Maui Dolphin Documentary project:

"I have concluded that to effectively educate teenagers, I must find a balance between the Marine Biologist’s perspective (scientific accuracy) and my User Research (need for fast-paced content). My research showed that students stop watching videos after 60 seconds if there is no visual variety. Therefore, I have justified the use of a 'split-screen' editing technique in my proposal. This allows me to show the expert speaking on one side while displaying the actual data or dolphin footage on the other. This synthesises the need for high-level information with the technical requirement for visual engagement, ensuring the documentary is both educational and watchable."

"My conclusion regarding the 'Social and Cultural' implications is that the documentary cannot be successful without acknowledging Mana Whenua. My research into local history showed that the dolphins are seen as a 'taonga' (treasure). By synthesising this with the cultural implication of using correct Te Reo Māori, I have decided to open the film with a mihi and a traditional pūrākau (story) about the coast. This justifies my proposal to move away from a purely 'Western science' style and instead create a bicultural narrative. This makes the outcome more authentic to Whāingaroa and more impactful for a New Zealand audience."

Level 3 - Comparing and contrasting different perspectives (Merit)

This section is required for Merit

This is about looking at the same problem through different "lenses." Compare the viewpoints of different groups or people. How do their priorities differ? How does this conflict influence your proposed digital outcome?

For Merit, you must show that you understand the different "points of view" related to your topic. You need to explain how these perspectives differ and how that affects your project.

A good structure for you to follow:

Identify: State two or more different groups/viewpoints.
Contrast: How do their priorities or "needs" clash?
Connect: How does this conflict change what you will build?

Sentence Starters:

"From the perspective of [Group A], the main priority is... however, [Group B] views the issue as..."
"While both perspectives agree that..., they differ significantly on the method of..."
"This conflict of perspective means my digital outcome must balance [Need A] with [Need B] by..."

Here's an example (for a Māui Dolphin Inquiry):

"In my research, I identified two distinct perspectives. The Department of Conservation (DOC) focuses on scientific preservation and exclusion zones. In contrast, the local recreational fishing community values traditional access and feels that 'blanket bans' are unfair.

I have compared these and found that while both want the dolphins to survive, their 'solutions' are opposites. This means I cannot just make a documentary that is 'pro-ban' or I will alienate local youth from fishing families. I need to include an interview with a local fisher to ensure my outcome is relatable to the whole Whaingaroa community."

Level 3 - Critique of your findings (Excellence)

This section is required for Excellence

Use your summary and analysis to critique the accuracy, relevance, reliability, and/or significance of the findings of your inquiry. Use the guide to help understand the differences between these.

For Excellence, you aren't just checking if a website is "good" (e.g. thr CRAAP test). You are looking at the actual data you found and deciding if it is significant, accurate, or if something is missing.

You need to critique at least two key findings.

Here's some useful prompts for you to follow:

Significance: Why is this specific fact the most important thing you found?
- "The finding that [X] is significant to my inquiry because it directly contradicts my initial assumption that..."
Reliability/Accuracy: If two sources say different things, which one do you trust more and why?
- "I found a discrepancy between [Source A] and [Source B] regarding... I have judged [Source A] as more reliable because..."
Gaps: What did your research fail to tell you?
- "Although the findings show [X], they lack information on [the gap], which limits how much I can rely on them for..."

And an example (Māui Dolphin Project):

"I found a significant study stating that youth attention spans for videos peak at 60 seconds. However, I must critique the significance of this against my own survey at Raglan Area School, which showed students would watch a 10-minute video if they recognized the local spots in it.

I have critiqued this finding and decided that 'local relevance' is a more significant engagement factor than 'length.' Additionally, I noticed a gap in my findings: none of my sources discussed how Te Reo Māori content affects engagement for Rangatahi. This is a weakness in my research, so I will add a Te Reo subtitle option to my proposal to address this missing information."

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