QUANTITATIVE DATA
ANALAYSIS
DR BK MAJOLA
Introduction
• Quantitative data analysis involves the technique by which
researchers convert data to numerical forms and subject them
to statistical analysis.
• Involves techniques.
• Involve task of converting data into knowledge.
• Analysis comes at the end after all the data are collected.
• Data have their own meaning
Planning for Analysis
Data
• Data are a bunch of values of one or more variables.
• A variable is something that has different values.
• Values can be numbers or names, depending on the variable:
Numeric e.g. weight
Counting e.g. number of injuries
Ordinal e.g. competitive level (values are numbers/names)
Nominal e.g. sex (values are names)
• When values are names, visualise the frequency of each value
with a pie chart or just a list of values and frequency.
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 and 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/Mixed
Process each element as appropriate
Type of Data and Analysis
• Quantitative Data
Counts, frequencies, tallies
Statistical analyses (as appropriate)
• Qualitative Data
Coding
Patterns, themes, theory building
• Combination/Mixed
Process each element as appropriate
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 and 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”
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 cannot get it back.
If you are using a survey /questionnaire, it is a good idea to do your
coding on the form so that it can be entered properly (i.e. create a
“codebook”)
Entering Data
• Descriptive Statistics
Data representation
Frequency distributions and tables
Graphical representation of data
Graphs:
Frequency histogram
Frequency polygon
Charts:
Simple bar chart
Multiple bar chart
Pie chart
Pictogram
Entering Data
• Data entry specialists enter the data into an SPSS
data matrix, Excel spreadsheet,
Typically, work off a coded questionnaire
• In Excel or Access :
Format tables with proper variable columns
Enter data for each case
• In SPSS
Import a file and name variables/column headings
Or, create variables/column headings and enter each case
Very large effect: Trivial effect:
females
females
males
males
strength strength
Correlations between Intention to
Leave or Stay and WLB Programme
Intention to leave or stay
Pearson's Correlations
Work Frustration/ Possibility of Taking
Job Searching Drive
Dissatisfaction the Risk to Leave
Correlation
Work Frustration/ Dissatisfaction p-value -
N
Correlation
0.523**
Job Searching Drive p-value
0.000
N 108
Correlation
-0.328** -0.124
Possibility of Taking the Risk to p-value
Leave 0.001 0.197
N 109 109
Correlation -0.454 **
-0.269** 0.241*
p-value <0.001 0.005 0.013
Work-Life Balance
N
105 105 106
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
Examples
Figure 5.2: Description of Respondents by Home Language
It can be seen from Figure 5.2 that the majority of respondents speak isiZulu as a home
language at fifty two (52). Zulu speaking people are based in the Province of KwaZulu-Natal
where most of the respondents came from. All respondents (26) from uMzimvubu Local
Municpality spoke isiXhosa. It must be noted that some of the respondents speak English as a
home language and are Whites, Coloureds and Indians at twenty one (21).
QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
THANK YOU
