Descriptive Data Overview

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Questions and Answers

What type of data is primarily described by qualities or characteristics and cannot be measured or counted?

Quantitative data

Descriptive data

Statistical data

Qualitative data (correct)

Which of the following is a common method for collecting qualitative data?

Structured surveys

Data mining

Statistical analysis

Focus groups (correct)

Qualitative data is primarily useful for which of the following purposes?

Calculating averages

Performing regression analysis

Developing hypotheses (correct)

Creating detailed graphs

Which of the following best describes nominal data?

Data that represents names or labels Signup and view all the answers

What is one disadvantage of qualitative data collection?

It can lead to sample bias. Signup and view all the answers

Which approach is NOT commonly associated with qualitative data analysis?

Statistical modeling Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes a feature of qualitative data analysis?

It captures changing attitudes. Signup and view all the answers

What type of qualitative data involves the analysis of responses without a structured format?

Open-ended surveys Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes nominal data from ordinal data?

Ordinal data has a defined order, but nominal data does not. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of quantitative data?

The temperature in degrees Celsius. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes one advantage of quantitative data?

It reduces personal bias due to its numerical nature. Signup and view all the answers

What are the main levels of measurement for both qualitative and quantitative data?

Nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Signup and view all the answers

How is ordinal data characterized?

It has an order but does not measure differences between categories. Signup and view all the answers

Which statement describes a disadvantage of quantitative data?

Results may be misleading if only focused on numerical representations. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following would NOT be considered quantitative data?

The color of a car. Signup and view all the answers

What is one characteristic of quantitative data?

It presents information using tables, graphs, or figures. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Descriptive/Qualitative Data

Definition: Measurements without a numerical scale, based on attributes, labels, or non-numerical characteristics.
Purpose: Used to understand "why" and explore underlying reasoning, often in developing initial understandings and hypotheses.
Alternative Name: Categorical data
Key Approaches: Deductive and inductive.
Features: Describes qualities, cannot be measured/counted, collected through questionnaires, interviews, or observation, and typically narrative.
Examples: Patient sex (male/female), smoking status (smoker/non-smoker), temperature status (normal/abnormal), BP status (normal/abnormal).
Methods for Collection: Observation notes, open-ended surveys, semi-structured interviews, participant diaries/journals, portfolios, concept maps, case studies, focus groups.
Advantages: Understanding audience needs, in-depth analysis, rich data, exploratory nature of data capture, capturing changing attitudes.
Disadvantages: Larger sample sizes pose problems, potential sample bias, artificiality of capture methods, right questions may not be asked, time-consuming.
Levels of Measurement: Nominal (naming, no order) and ordinal (ordered, but no numerical scale). Nominal is more qualitative. Ordinal is mostly quantitative, but qualitative when it includes descriptive features

Quantitative Data

Definition: Data expressed as numbers or counts, with each data point having a unique numerical value.
Alternative Name: Numerical data.
Features: Analyzable statistically (SPSS, STATA), flexible for diverse study objectives, allows prediction of outcomes, measurable variables, presented in tables, graphs, or figures.
Examples: Distance (200 km), number of weeks/months/days, length (20 cm), revenue (Gh¢100).
Medical examples: Weight (70 kg), height (6ft), age (23 years), temperature (in Celsius/Fahrenheit).
Advantages: Minimizes bias, provides accurate results, allows for detailed in-depth research.
Disadvantages: Direction of results may be biased by question types, less descriptive, researcher may struggle with decision-making based on information, results can be misleading if the focus is solely on numbers.
Levels of Measurement: Ordinal(naturally occurring order) Interval and Ratio (numerical order with meaningful differences between values). Ordinal is sometimes qualitative. The rest (incl. ratio) are more quantitative.

General Levels of Measurement

Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio. Nominal is mostly qualitative, others more quantitative.

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Description

Explore the world of descriptive or qualitative data through this quiz. Learn about its definitions, purposes, features, and methods of data collection while gaining a deeper understanding of how this type of data is used in research. Test your knowledge about the various approaches and examples of categorical data.