Quantitative Data Analysis (QDA)

WEEK 12- Summative Assessment Questions

60% Marks

Section A

Attempt all Question in Section A

1. A researcher wants to examine the relationship between social class and number of books read in a year. The first hundred people are interviewed as they enter a public library in the researcher’s home town. On the basis of the answers given, the sample is categorized in terms of a fourfold classification of social class: upper middle class/lower middle class/ upper working class/ lower working class. Using Pearson’s r, the level of correlation is found to be
   0.73 which is significant at p < 0.001. The researcher concludes that the findings have considerable validity, especially since 73 per cent of the variance in number of books read is explained by social class. Assess the researcher’s analysis and conclusions.
2. A researcher finds that the correlation between income and a scale measuring interest in work is 0.55 (Pearson’s r) which is non-significant since p is greater than 0.05. This finding is compared to another study sing the same variables and measures which found the correlation to be 0.46 and p < 0.001. How could this contrast arise? In other words, how could the larger correlation be non-significant and the smaller correlation be significant?

WEEK 12- Summative Assessment Questions

60% Marks

Section A

Attempt all Question in Section A

1. A researcher wants to examine the relationship between social class and number of books read in a year. The first hundred people are interviewed as they enter a public library in the researcher’s home town. On the basis of the answers given, the sample is categorized in terms of a fourfold classification of social class: upper middle class/lower middle class/ upper working class/ lower working class. Using Pearson’s r, the level of correlation is found to be

0.73 which is significant at p < 0.001. The researcher concludes that the findings have considerable validity, especially since 73 per cent of the variance in number of books read is explained by social class. Assess the researcher’s analysis and conclusions.

• A researcher finds that the correlation between income and a scale measuring interest in work is 0.55 (Pearson’s r) which is non-significant since p is greater than 0.05. This finding is compared to another study sing the same variables and measures which found the correlation to be 0.46 and p < 0.001. How could this contrast arise? In other words, how could the larger correlation be non-significant and the smaller correlation be significant?

40% marks

Section B

1. What statistic or statistics would you recommend to estimate the strength of the relationship between prody and commit (Job Survey data)?
2. What SPSS commands would you use to generate the relevant estimates?
3. The regression equation for the relationship between age and autonomy (with the latter as the dependent variable) is autonom = 6.964 + 0.06230age r = 0.28
   1. Explain what 6.964 means.
   1. Explain what 0.06230 means.
   1. How well does the regression equation fit the data?
   1. What is the likely level of autonom for someone aged 54?
   1. Using SPSS, how would you generate this regression information?

The completed coursework should be uploaded through the submission link in the VLE, on the last week 12.

The minimum pass mark for the module is 50%.