SURVEY METHOD
 

1. Data Collection from the Internet
  • I visited the website of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) to find information on ethnic population in different suburbs.
  • I collected statistics on the Language spoken at home for the following suburbs: Bankstown, Burwood, Cabramatta, Camden, Lakemba, and Strathfield.

    • 2. Data Collection from Fieldwork
  • Firstly, I went to the main street of the suburb where a concentration of shops could be found.
  • I chose the busiest part of the street and started the survey randomly at one of the shops.
  • I surveyed 50 shops in total, 25 on each side of the street, consecutively.
  • I recorded the types of business for each shop, and whether an ethnic language was visible on the premise of the business (e.g. the name of the shop, banners, signs, posters, etc.).
  • Photographs of the streetscape were taken, with special interest on signs with ethnic languages, architecture, and other related features.

    • 3. Data Processing —I put the statistics into both tabular form and graphical form using Microsoft Excel for each suburb in my survey.

        a) For statistics from ABS:
  • I selected figures of the population for the five ethnic languages most commonly spoken at home, together with the population speaking only English.
  • I created a table for the statistics and calculated percentages
  • I drew a column graph showing the above information to compare the number of people speaking the major ethnic languages with the population that speaks only English at home.

    •     b) For statistics from my fieldwork:
  • After a preliminary study of statistics, I grouped the business types into eight major categories: Food & Drink, Medical, Financial, Clothing & Fabrics, Entertainment, Real Estate, Personal Services, and Grocery.
  • I compiled the statistics collected into tables showing the number of shops with or without ethnic languages for each business type.
  • I drew a pie graph showing the proportions of shops with or without ethnic languages.
  • I drew another pie graph showing the distribution of business types for the 50 shops in the survey. This can further enhance my understanding of the businesses in each suburb. Since it is not directly related to the aim of my investigation, they would only appear as appendixes in the report.

    •     c) For photos taken during my fieldwork:
  • I selected most appropriate photographs for the presentation of my report that can best reflect the influences of culture on shops.

    • 4. Timetable and Location of my Field Study

    The following map shows the location of the six suburbs in this survey: