SPECIFICATION: DATA HANDLING AND ANALYSIS

• Quantitative and Qualitative Data: the Distinction Between Qualitative and Quantitative Data Collection Techniques.

• Primary and Secondary Data, including Meta-Analysis.

• Descriptive Statistics: Measures of Central Tendency – Mean, Median, Mode; Calculation of Mean, Median and Mode; Measures of Dispersion; Range and Standard Deviation; Calculation of Range; Calculation of Percentages; Positive, Negative and Zero Correlations.

• Presentation and Display of Quantitative Data: Graphs, Tables, Scattergrams, Bar Charts, Histograms.

• Distributions: Normal and Skewed Distributions; Characteristics of normal and skewed distributions.

• Analysis and Interpretation of Correlation, including Correlation Coefficients.

• Levels of Measurement: Nominal, Ordinal and Interval.

• Content Analysis and Coding. Thematic Analysis (see research methods).

INFERENTIAL TESTING

Students should demonstrate knowledge and understanding of inferential testing and be familiar with inferential tests.

• Introduction to statistical testing, the sign test, when to use it, and how it is calculated.

• Probability and significance: using statistical tables and critical values in interpreting significance; Type I and Type II errors.

• Factors affecting the choice of statistical test, including level of measurement and experimental design. When to use the following tests: Spearman’s rho, Pearson’s r, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, related t-test, unrelated t-test and Chi-Squared test