INTERPRETATION

Group 5
Tutor, Wendelyn
Uchi, Frances Dayle
Valios, Charlyn
Villarosa, Kimberly
Yasaña, John Paul

Sources:
 https://www.academia.edu/5776208/ENGLISH_103_BASIC_TECHNI
QUES_IN_TECHNICAL_WRITING
 James Arvin R. Guzman II’s research paper entitled “A Correlational
Study of Birth Order and Academic Achievement of Selected 2nd-
year Students of Central College of the Philippines”
 Technical Writing book by Gordon H. Mills and John A. Walter
 Paterna E. Manalo
 Virginia E. Fermin
INTERPRETATION
 Interpretation is the art of informally establishing a meaningful pattern
of relationships among a group of facts.
 It is especially useful in formal reports such as theses and
dissertations (Mills and Walter, 1980)

 Interpretation can be written for either of two basically different

purposes.
1. To help the reader understand certain phenomena, or a certain
body of data.

2. To present a recommendation concerning a course of action, or a

decision.

 Interpretations are usually found where graphs and tables are

presented. For example, direct proportion, inverse proportion, and
lack of relationship are presented by the following three linear graphs,
respectively.

Note that, more often than not, numerical data (variables) shown in
graphical and tabular formats are subject to interpretation and that
headings and legends should be supplied to give readers a clear picture of
the relationship between/among data graphically shown and tabulated.

Three Key Questions that Arise in Any Interpretation

1.What is to be found out?

The first job in writing a technical interpretation is to tell the reader

exactly what problem you intend to discuss.
Two Parts:

a. Stating the Problem in Concise Form. Boiling down a complex

problem to one short, simple statement. Having this, we would be in a
good position to organize and interpret all the details we might care to
discuss.
b. Stating the Problem in an Expanded Form. The presentation of
the subordinate problems. The way in which the subordinate
problems are presented depends on the writer’s objectives, and here,
there is a point that needs further consideration.

2. How was evidence obtained?

The provision of any necessary explanation about how the data was
obtained, or of a statement of its probable reliability. The reader
should have enough information about the data to make an
independent evaluation of the validity of the conclusions.

3. How will the interpretation be organized?

Presenting and explaining the data and stating conclusions.

How to organize the interpretation and how to present supporting

data?

a. Organizing the Major Factors

I. Statement of Problem
A. In concise form
B. In the form of subordinate problems
II. Statement about the source and reliability of data
III. Subordinate problem number 1
A. Restatement of the problem
B. Explanation of the problem
C. Presentation and Interpretation of the data
D. Solution of the problem (where appropriate)
IV. Subordinate problem number 2 (as above in III)
V., VI. (additional subordinate problems)
Sample of an Interpretation (Excerpt from James Arvin R. Guzman
II’s research paper entitled “A Correlational Study of Birth Order and
Academic Achievement of Selected 2nd-year Students of Central College
of the Philippines”)

Frequency and distribution of College Sophomore Students according to

Economic Status and Their Birth Order.

Table 2.1 shows the economic status of the respondents who are the eldest among the siblings.
It shows that 32 of the respondents (40%) belong to families whose monthly income is below
Php 10,000.00, 24 belong to families whose monthly income is between Php 10,000.00 and Php
30,000.00, and another 24 belong to families whose monthly income exceeds Php30, 000.00.

Table 2.2 shows the economic status of the respondents who are the middle-born children. It
shows that 32 of the respondents (40%) come from families with monthly income of less than
Php 10,000.00, 27 (33.75%) from families with monthly income ranging from Php 10,000.00 to
Php 30,000.00, and 21 (26.25%) from families with monthly income of more than Php
30,000.00.

Table 2.3 shows the economic status of the respondents who are the youngest among the
siblings. It shows that 31 of the respondents (38.75%) belong to families whose monthly income
is below Php 10,000.00, 27 (33.75%) belong to families whose monthly income is between Php
10,000.00 and Php 30,000.00 and 22 (27.5%) belong to families whose monthly income is more
than Php 30,000.00.