When it comes to conducting a piece of research, scholars should draw sufficient attention to numerous aspects, and data analysis plans are no exception. Various statistical tests are used to analyze data, and the choice of a specific test depends on what variables are under consideration. Thus, the essay will comment on the plan for data analysis of demographic variables using descriptive statistical tests and the approach to analyze study variables using descriptive and inferential tests.
Assessing demographic variables is essential for every study because this process reveals characteristic features of the sample. The first step is to obtain data from participants and prepare them for analysis. According to Kaur et al. (2018), demographic data typically refer to nominal, ordinal, or dichotomous variables. Once this information is collected, researchers should undertake an appropriate statistical test. Measures of frequency and central tendency are considered an optimal approach to analyze demographic variables because they show how often a value occurs and how different values are distributed (Kaur et al., 2018). These results are significant to analyze the features of a sample or population.
As for analyzing study variables, the plan is approximately the same as the one above. It is necessary to collect the data and prepare them for analysis. However, a difference appears when it comes to choosing specific statistical tests. Kaur et al. (2018) admit that descriptive statistics can be applied because measures of dispersion and position reflect relations between variables. Simultaneously, inferential statistics, including t-test, ANOVA test, and others, is useful because this approach allows for drawing conclusions from data (Mishra et al., 2019). These tests are helpful to identify a relationship between study variables.
In conclusion, the paper has presented data analysis plans for both demographic and study variables. These plans are mainly identical since the steps include obtaining information and analyzing it. The most significant difference between the two methods refers to statistical tests used. It is so because descriptive statistical tests are suitable for analyzing demographic data, while both descriptive and inferential tests deal with study variables.
References
Kaur, S., Stoltzfus, J., & Yellapu, V. (2018). Descriptive statistics. International Journal of Academic Medicine, 4(1), 60-63.
Mishra, P., Pandey, C. M., Singh, U., Keshri, A., & Sabaretnam, M. (2019). Selection of appropriate statistical methods for data analysis. Annals of Cardiac Anaesthesia, 22(3), 297-301.