Overview

CAEC Reading

Text Types

10. Informational Text

10.36 Applied Research Strategies

Applied Research Strategies

See how rate of change, percent change, and correlation analysis help you evaluate data-driven arguments in complex research and inquiry tasks.

What You'll Learn

Extract numerical evidence from tables and graphs and connect it directly to a research claim.

Apply the rate of change formula \( \dfrac{\Delta y}{\Delta x} \) to describe how a quantity trends over an interval.

Calculate percent change with \( \dfrac{v_2 - v_1}{v_1} \times 100 \) to judge whether a reported shift is meaningful.

Distinguish correlation from causation when a source uses statistics to support a conclusion.

Recognize sampling bias and margin of error as limits on how far a claim can be generalized.

Answer paired passage-and-data questions by checking whether the numbers actually support the stated claim.

What You'll Practice

Calculating the rate of change and percent change between two points in a research data table

Identifying whether a bar or line graph uses a truncated axis to exaggerate a difference

Distinguishing a correlation-based claim from a causation-based claim in a short passage

Judging whether a survey's sample size and margin of error justify a broad generalization

Answering paired passage-and-graph questions by checking each answer choice against the actual data

Why This Matters

You will meet passage-and-data questions on standardized assessments, in lab reports, and in any research task that asks you to back up a claim with numbers. Learning to calculate rate of change and percent change, spot a manipulated graph, and separate correlation from causation lets you judge whether evidence actually proves what a source says it proves.

This Unit Includes

Practice exercises

Learning resources

Skills

Data Interpretation

Rate Of Change

Percent Change

Correlation Vs Causation

Sampling Bias

Margin Of Error

Argument Evaluation

Graph Analysis

TEST-PREP Curriculum Aligned