ANALYSIS & STATISTICS

DESIGN RESEARCH METHOD

AR-404
ANALYSIS
• Analysis of data is a process of inspecting, cleaning,
transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering
useful information, suggesting conclusions, and supporting
decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and
approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety
of names, in different business, science, and social science
domains.
• A systematic examination and evaluation of data or
information, by breaking it into its component parts to uncover
their interrelationships. Opposite of synthesis.
• An examination of data and facts to uncover and understand
cause-effect relationships, thus providing basis for problem
solving and decision-making.

WHAT IS ANALYSIS ?
• A weak analysis will only tell a story or describe the topic.
• A good analysis will go beyond a mere description by
engaging in several of the types of analysis listed below, but it
will be weak on sociological analysis, the future orientation &
the development of social policy.
• An excellent analysis will engage in many of the types of
analyses and will demonstrate an aggressive sociological
analysis which develops a clear future orientation and offers
social policy changes to address problems associated with the
topic.

WHAT IS ANALYSIS ?
• Descriptive Analysis
• Exploratory Analysis
• Inferential Analysis
• Predictive Analysis
• Comparative Analysis
• Socio-historical Analysis
• SWOT Analysis
• "Cause & Effect" Analysis
• Statistical Analysis
• Sociological Analysis

TYPES OF ANALYSIS
• A Descriptive Analysis offers a detailed
description through the use of objective or subjective
language to describe some object (a person, place or
thing; it may be a “social object” such as discrimination),
& in the process, give the reader some dominant
impression (the thesis) of the thing being described.
• The writer should identify their vantage point (the
perspective from which they are viewing the object)
which also determines the organization of the essay--
going from macro level to micro level, changing the angle
or starting without a general description, moving towards
a specific one.
Descriptive
ANALYSIS
• An approach to analyzing data sets to find previously
unknown relationships.
• Exploratory models are good for discovering new
connections
• They are also useful for defining future studies/questions
• Exploratory analyses are usually not the definitive
answer to the question at hand, but only the start
• Exploratory analyses alone should not be used for
generalizing and/or predicting

Exploratory
ANALYSIS
• Aims to test theories about the nature of the world in
general (or some part of it) based on samples of
“subjects” taken from the world (or some part of it). That
is, use a relatively small sample of data to say something
about a bigger population.
• Inference is commonly the goal of statistical models
• Inference involves estimating both the quantity you care
about and your uncertainty about it.

Inferential
ANALYSIS
• The various types of methods that analyze current and
historical facts to make predictions about future events. In
essence, to use the data on some objects to predict values
for another object.
• The models predicts, but it does not mean that the
independent variables cause
• Accurate prediction depends heavily on measuring the
right variables
• Although there are better and worse prediction models,
more data and a simple model works really well
• Prediction is very hard, especially about the future
references

Predictive
ANALYSIS
• A Comparative Analysis explains how something is
like or unlike something else.
• The items compared need to have a basis of comparison--that
is, they need to be enough alike to warrant a comparison.
• The thesis should indicate whether the essay will focus on
similarities or differences.
• The purpose of the essay should be in the thesis statement's
main clause.
• Subject-by-subject comparison treats each of the subjects the
writer is comparing, but does so separately.
• Each subject should be evaluated according to the same
criteria and in the same order.
• A point-by-point comparison treats subjects individually but
alternately, in pairs.
Comparative
ANALYSIS
• A Socio-Historical Analysis examines historical events
utilizing social concepts.
• While a historical analysis is merely a description of
people & events from the past, a socio-historical analysis
examines history using social concepts such as the
industrial revolution, urbanization, democratization, etc.,
to not only describe history, but also to understand it
perhaps in a way that not even the people living at the
time understood it.
• It is strongly suggested that all researches should contain
a Socio-Historical Analysis.

Socio-historical
ANALYSIS
• A SWOT Analysis addresses the strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, & threats to the topic. This
comprehensive type of analysis addresses a topic with the
aim of taking action in relation to the topic. If an analysis
demonstrates particular strengths & weakness, then
particular opportunities & threats (actions) are implied.

SWOT
ANALYSIS
• A "Cause & Effect" Analysis demonstrates how the
occurrence of one event correlates with a particular
outcome. ( Remember in the social sciences, we
generally hold that technically there is no "cause &
effect" only correlations. )
• It is reasonable to examine how non-social (e.g. physical,
biological, psychological, etc.) causes also have social
effects.
• Statistical Analysis are often designed to demonstrate
cause & effect, i.e. correlations between variables. It is
often helpful to ask: How does this particular cause &
effect relationship really work? ( as to opposed to how
many believe it works )
“Cause & Effect
ANALYSIS
• A Statistical Analysis will generally be used to demonstrate a
"cause & effect" relationship (i.e. a correlation) or a Comparison.
• Statistical Analysis should always assume that the reader does not
understand statistics.
• Thus, Statistical Analysis should always be accompanied by the
appropriate type of analysis discussed here-in such as a Comparative
Analysis or a "Cause & Effect" Analysis.
• Statitical Analysis is Aggregate Data Analysis /Archival
Research Analysis of records & artifacts
_Old records _Race
_Census _Religion
_ Pop _Age
_Income _Gender
_Other current records
Aggregate Data Analysis is used to study current or historical events

Statistical
ANALYSIS
• A Sociological Analysis utilizes one of the types of analysis
describe here while utilizing social concepts, processes,
theories & one or more sociological paradigms.
• A Sociological Analysis utilizes one of the types of analysis
described here while utilizing social concepts, processes,
theories & one or more sociological paradigms.
• The writer seeks to find causes and/or describe or predict
effects. Non-sociological types of analyses (biological,
psychological, etc.) focus on the individual while sociological
analysis focuses on - factors external to the individual such as
social conditions in the community or society
- the meanings that members of a social organization share
- an individual's social location (class, status, gender,
ethnicity, race, religion, authority position, etc.).
Sociological
ANALYSIS
STATISTICS
• Statistics is the science of collecting, analyzing and
making inference from data.
• Statistics is a particularly useful branch of mathematics
that is not only studied theoretically by advanced
mathematicians but one that is used by researchers in
many fields to organize, analyze, and summarize data.

WHAT IS STATISTICS ?
• Statistical methods and analyses are often used to
communicate research findings and to support hypotheses
and give credibility to research methodology and
conclusions.
• It is important for researchers and also consumers of
research to understand statistics so that they can be
informed, evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information, and make appropriate decisions.
• Some of the major purposes of statistics are to help us
understand and describe phenomena in our world and to
help us draw reliable conclusions about those
phenomena.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF STATISTICS ?

• Statistical methods and analyses are often used to
communicate research findings and to support hypotheses
and give credibility to research methodology and
conclusions.
• It is important for researchers and also consumers of
research to understand statistics so that they can be
informed, evaluate the credibility and usefulness of
information, and make appropriate decisions.
• Some of the major purposes of statistics are to help us
understand and describe phenomena in our world and to
help us draw reliable conclusions about those
phenomena.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF STATISTICS ?

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

vs

INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
• Descriptive statistics is the term given to the analysis of
data that helps describe, show or summarize data in a
meaningful way such that, for example, patterns might
emerge from the data.
• Descriptive statistics do not, however, allow us to make
conclusions beyond the data we have analyzed or reach
conclusions regarding any hypotheses we might have
made.
• They are simply a way to describe our data.

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
• Descriptive statistics are very important because if we
simply presented our raw data it would be hard to
visualize what the data was showing, especially if there
was a lot of it.
• Descriptive statistics therefore enables us to present the
data in a more meaningful way, which allows simpler
interpretation of the data.

WHY DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS ?

• When we use descriptive statistics it is useful to
summarize our group of data using a combination of
tabulated description (i.e., tables), graphical description
(i.e., graphs and charts) and statistical commentary (i.e.,
a discussion of the results).

HOW TO USE DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS ?

• Inferential statistics use a random sample of data taken
from a population to describe and make inferences about
the population.
• Inferential statistics are valuable when it is not convenient
or possible to examine each member of an entire
population.
• For example, it is impractical to measure the diameter of
each nail that is manufactured in a mill, but you can
measure the diameters of a representative random sample
of nails and use that information to make generalizations
about the diameters of all the nails produced.

INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
Thank You . . .