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Data Management: Quantifying Data & Planning Your Analysis

This document discusses planning for data analysis, including quantifying qualitative and quantitative data through coding, formatting data for analysis, and choosing appropriate analysis techniques based on variable types. It emphasizes properly matching analysis methods to research questions and variable attributes, and planning analysis steps and time management.

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Saqlain Tariq
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53 views38 pages

Data Management: Quantifying Data & Planning Your Analysis

This document discusses planning for data analysis, including quantifying qualitative and quantitative data through coding, formatting data for analysis, and choosing appropriate analysis techniques based on variable types. It emphasizes properly matching analysis methods to research questions and variable attributes, and planning analysis steps and time management.

Uploaded by

Saqlain Tariq
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Data Management:

Quantifying Data & Planning Your


Analysis
Planning for Analysis

Type of Type of
Data Formatting

Type of
Analysis
Planning for Analysis

 A sound research plan successfully matches


these elements with the proper techniques

 Collect the type of data that is most appropriate


to answering your question and fits the other
parameters of your project (budget, personnel,
etc.)
Type of Data &
Formatting Technique

 Quantitative Data
– Must “quantify” the data
– Convert (“data reduce”) from collection format into
numeric database
 Qualitative Data
– Must process the data (type/enter/describe)
– Convert from audio/video to text
 Combination
– Process each element as appropriate
Type of Data & Analysis

 Quantitative Data
– Counts, frequencies, tallies
– Statistical analyses (as appropriate)
 Qualitative Data
– Coding
– Patterns, themes, theory building
 Combination
– Process each element as appropriate
Quantifying Data

Coding
Processing
Quantifying Data

 Before we can do any kind of analysis, we


need to quantify our data

 “Quantification” is the process of converting


data to a numeric format
– Convert social science data into a “machine-
readable” form, a form that can be read &
manipulated by computer programs
Quantifying Data

Some transformations are simple:


 Assign numeric representations to nominal or
ordinal variables:
– Turning male into “1” and female into “2”
– Assigning “3” to Very Interested, “2” to Somewhat
Interested, “1” to Not Interested
 Assign numeric values to continuous variables:
– Turning born in 1973 to “35”
– Number of children = “02”
Developing Code Categories

Some data are more challenging. Open-ended


responses must be coded.

 Two basic approaches:


– Begin with a coding scheme derived from the
research purpose.
– Generate codes from the data.
Coding Quantitative Data

 Goal – reduce a wide variety of information to a


more limited set of variable attributes:
– “What is your occupation?”
 Use pre-established scheme: Professional, Managerial,
Clerical, Semi-skilled, etc.
 Create a scheme after reviewing the data
 Assign value to each category in the scheme: Professional
= 1, Managerial = 2, etc.
 Classify the response: “Secretary” is “clerical” and is coded
as “3”
Coding Quantitative Data

 Points to remember:
– If the data are coded to maintain a good amount of
detail, they can always be combined (reduced) later
– However, if you start off with too little detail, you
can’t get it back
– If you’re using a survey / questionnaire, it’s a good
idea to do your coding on the form so that it can be
entered properly (i.e. create a “codebook”)
Codebook Construction

Purposes:
 Primary guide used in the coding process.
– Should note the value assigned to each variable
attribute (response)
 Guide for locating variables and interpreting
codes in the data file during analysis.
 If you’re doing your own input, this will also
guide data set construction
Hands-on Exercise 1

 Create a mini-codebook by coding the survey


instrument
– Note column spaces / locations
– Note variable attribute values
– Pay attention to the box at the bottom, special
instructions
Entering Data

 Optical scan sheets (usually ASCII output).


– Limits possible responses

 CATI system / On-line: entered while collected

 Data entry specialists enter the data into an SPSS data


matrix, Excel spreadsheet, or ASCII file.
– Typically, work off a coded questionnaire
Entering Data

 In Excel or Access, follow procedures from


class:
– Format tables with proper variable columns
– Enter data for each case
 In SPSS
– Import an ASCII file and name variables/column
headings
– Or, create variables/column headings & enter each
case
Entering Data

 ASCII files are useful because they can be


transformed or used in almost all analysis
programs
 Upload to SPSS, Excel, or use directly with
SAS
Entering Data

Into an ASCII file


 Using notepad
 Use your coded survey
to show you the proper
entry order
Entering Data

Into an ASCII file


 Use the Command
prompt (Accessories
Command Prompt)
 Type “Edit”
Entering Data

 If you open an ASCII file


in Excel, you’ll get a
wizard to convert the
data
 Delimited or Fixed width
 If Fixed width, add
column breaks
 Opens as Excel
workbook
Hands-on Exercise 2

 Complete the survey (fill-in your answers)


 Create a ‘dataset’
 Enter the data from your survey using either
Notepad or the Edit program from the
Command prompt
Quantitative Analysis
Quantitative Analysis

 You should choose a level of analysis that is


appropriate for your research question

 You should choose the type of statistical


analysis appropriate for the variables you have
– Nominal/Categorical, Ordinal, or Continuous
Quantitative Levels of Analysis

 Univariate - simplest form,describe a case in


terms of a single variable.
 Bivariate - subgroup comparisons, describe a
case in terms of two variables simultaneously.
 Multivariate - analysis of two or more variables
simultaneously.
Univariate Analysis

 Describing a case in terms of the distribution of


attributes that comprise it.
Example:
– Gender - number of women, number of men.

 You should always begin your analysis by


running the basic univariate frequencies and
checking to be sure data were entered properly
Univariate Analysis

 Frequency distributions

 Measures of central tendency


– Mean, Median, Mode
Presenting Univariate Data

Goals:
 Provide reader with the fullest degree of detail
regarding the data.
 Present data in a manageable from.
 Simple and straightforward
Subgroup Comparisons

 Describe subsets of cases, subjects or


respondents.
Examples
 "Collapsing" response categories:
– Age categories, Open responses, etc.
 Handling "don't knows“
– Code separately, make missing if appropriate
Bivariate Analysis

 Describe a case in terms of two variables


simultaneously.
– Example:
 Gender
 Attitudes toward equality for men and women
 How does a respondent’s gender affect his or her attitude
toward equality for men and women?
 Crosstabulations / Correlations
Constructing Bivariate Tables

 Divide cases into groups according to the


attributes of the independent variable.
 Describe each subgroup in terms of attributes
of the dependent variable.
 Read the table by comparing the independent
variable subgroups in terms of a given attribute
of the dependent variable.
 DV goes in the rows, IV goes in the columns
Bivariate Analysis

 Bivariate Tables / Crosstabs are appropriate for


all types of variables, but the proper inferential
statistic will vary by variable type

 Continuous variables are typically made into


categorical variables for this type of analysis
– Recode variables
– Example: Create “Age” (18-34, 35-50, 51-65, 66+)
Appropriate Types of Analysis
Bivariate Analysis: Correlations

 Bivariate correlation analysis is appropriate for


continuous variables (interval, ratio)
 Other types of variables are often recoded into
‘Dummy’ variables (value 0 or 1) for these
purposes
– Example: Gender becomes two variables ‘Male’
(1=yes) & ‘Female’ (1=yes)
 Present in Correlation Matrix
Multivariate Analysis

 Analysis of more than two variables


simultaneously.
 Can be used to understand the relationship
between multiple variables more fully.
 Most typical: Regression analysis
Multivariate Analysis

 Ordinal (technically inappropriate but it


happens), continuous, dummy variables

 Type of regression analysis will depend on the


type of variables
– OLS (continuous)
– Logistic (other types)
Plan Your Analysis

Time Management
Planning your analysis

 Leave enough time for data entry and data


formatting
– Can take much longer than you expect
 In your codebook – note the TYPE of variable
for each measurement/question
 This will allow you to plan the proper levels and
types of analysis
Planning your analysis

 If your research question requires a level of


analysis your variables won’t allow, you’ll need
to transform them
– Create ‘dummy’ variables
– Collapse categories

 Determine the level of significance acceptable


& apply proper tests
Planning your analysis

 Proper planning will make things easier later

 Take good notes on any transformations, etc.


that you do
 Save all the elements of your analysis
programs

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