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Research
Methodology
OV313
Dr Anantha Krishnan
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Sample Size • Types of Data
• Qualitative
Calculation • Nominal
• Ordinal
• Quantitative
• Discrete
• Continuous
• Variables
• Independent
• Dependent
• Factors
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Types of Data
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Qualitative Data
• Qualitative Data
• Qualitative data, also known as categorical data, describes information that falls into
categories.
• Qualitative data is non-numerical and involves categorical variables describing features like
gender or hometown.
• Categorical data can sometimes contain numerical values, but these values lack
mathematical significance.
• Examples of categorical data include birthdate, favorite sport, and school postcode.
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Qualitative Data
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Qualitative Data
• Normal/ Nominal Data
• Nominal data represents categories or labels without any specific order.
• Examples:
• "Colors (red, blue, green)."
• "Types of animals (dog, cat, bird)."
• "Marital status (single, married, divorced).”
• Text: "Nominal data is used for classification purposes."
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Qualitative Data
• Ordinal Data
• Ordinal data represents ordered categories with a meaningful sequence.
• Examples:
• "Education levels (high school, bachelor's, master's)."
• "Customer satisfaction ratings (poor, fair, good, excellent)."
• "Economic status (low income, middle income, high income)."
• Text: "Ordinal data indicates relative ranking but not the magnitude of
differences."
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Quantitative Data
• Quantitative Data
• Quantitative data is numerical data that represents quantities, measurements, or counts.
• It represents numerical values, indicating "how much," "how often," or "how many.".
• Quantitative data provides information about quantities.
• Examples of quantitative data include height, length, size, and weight.
• Quantitative data can be classified into two types: discrete data and continuous data
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Quantitative Data
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Quantitative Data
• Discrete Data
• Discrete data consists of distinct and separate values.
• Examples:
• "The number of cars in a parking lot."
• "The count of customers in a store."
• "The number of books in a library catalog.”
• Text: "Discrete data is typically counted and represented as whole numbers."
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Quantitative Data
• Continuous Data
• Continuous data can take any value within a given range.
• Examples:
• "Height in centimeters or inches."
• "Weight in kilograms or pounds."
• "Temperature in degrees Fahrenheit."
• "Time in seconds."
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Variables
• Variables
• A variable is a quantity that may be changed according to the mathematical
problem.
• Independent/ Predictor/ Treatment/ Explanatory Variable (IV): This is the
variable that the researcher manipulates or controls in an experiment or
study. It is the presumed cause or factor that is believed to have an effect on
the dependent variable. Researchers change the independent variable to
observe its impact on the dependent variable. For example, in a study
examining the effect of different study durations on exam scores, "study
duration" is the independent variable. Also known as ‘FACTORS’
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Variables
• Variables
• Dependent/ Response/ Outcome/ Criterion/ Effect Variable (DV): This is
the variable that researchers measure or observe to determine the effects of the
independent variable. It is the outcome or result that is expected to change in
response to variations in the independent variable. In the study mentioned
above, "exam scores" are the dependent variable because they are expected to
change based on the different study durations.
