Taken as a whole, I'd say this page ranks quite high on the
incomprehensibility scale.
Consider the tables and graphs of percentages.
First, there are very few grammatical cues to identify the part and whole in
a given percentage. "Do 26% of those buying books at the student bookstore
live on campus?" "Do 25% of those making web purchases live off campus?"
Second, when the percentages add to less than 100%, the table is an
incomplete/partial table. These can be hard to read. Do 25% of off-campus
students make web purchases?
Third, the categories are exclusive in some cases [add to 100%] while in
others they are not [add to more than 100%]. In some cases the 100%
exclusivity is natural [agree to respond or not] but in others it was forced
by the terms of the question [where do you buy your books?].
A final nit: to show a pie chart with just two categories (70% [of those
questioned] agreed to participate; 30% did not agree) seems be "overkill."
============================================================
On the graph labeled "Purchase Textbooks", the percentages add to 100%.
Thus the categories are exclusive. Students are classified as using just
one of the categories.
On the graph labeled "Factors Influencing Purchase Decision", the
percentages do not add to
100% overall or by bar (by row). The headings for the rows (the bar
graphs) identify the "part".
On the table labeled "Web Purchases", the percentages do not add to 100%,
but the
categories seem to be treated as being independent.
For the graph labeled "Other Purchases", the percentages do add to 100%.
For the graph labeled "Noticed Bookstore Advertisements", the percentages
add to more than 100%.
For the table labeled "Evaluation of Penn State Bookstore", the percentages
add to way more than 100%.
And on the graph labeled "Penn State support for Student Activities", the
percentages add to way more than 100%. [I agree that the dots should not be
connected.]
Dennis roberts wrote in message
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> i spotted this ...
> http://www.sa.psu.edu/sara/pulse/bookstore.html
> about 1/2 way down the page ... see the graph titled
>"Penn State Bookstore Support for Activities" ...
>Should these dots be connected?
>Dennis Roberts, EdPsy, Penn State University
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