What are Types of Data in Statistics?
The data is classified into majorly four categories:
- Nominal data
- Ordinal data
- Discrete data
- Continuous data
Further, we can classify these data as follows:
1.Qualitative or Categorical Data
Qualitative data are not numerical.
that describe the features
Ex: such as a person’s gender, hometown etc.
a)
Nominal Data
Nominal data is one of the
types of qualitative information which helps to label the variables without
providing the numerical value.
Nominal data is also called
the nominal scale.
These data are visually
represented using the pie charts
Nominal
data examples
·
Hair
color (blonde, gray, brown, black, etc.)
·
Nationality
(Kenyan, British, Chinese, etc.)
b)
Ordinal Data
Ordinal data/variable is a type of data that
follows a natural order.
. This variable is mostly found in surveys, finance, economics, questionnaires, and so
2.Quantitative or Numerical Data
Quantitative data is also known as numerical
data which represents the numerical value (i.e., how much, how often, how
many). Numerical data gives information about the quantities of a specific
thing. Some examples of numerical data are height, length, size, weight, and so
on.
a)
Discrete Data
Discrete data can take only discrete values.
Discrete information contains only a finite number of possible values. Those
values cannot be subdivided meaningfully. Here, things can be counted in whole
numbers.
Example: Number of students in the class
b)
Continuous Data
Continuous data is data that can be
calculated. It has an infinite number of probable values that can be selected
within a given specific range.
Example: Temperature range
1]
List and explain
the data collection tools
The main data collection tools are:
a.
Questionnaires
b.
Survey
c.
Interviews
d.
Focus group discussion
a] Questionnaires :
Ø This is the
process of collecting data through data collection tools (Google form)
consisting of a series of questions and prompts to receive a response from individuals.
Ø Questionnaires
are designed to collect data from a group.
Ø Questionnaires
are part of survey
Ø Questionnaires
consists of three kinds of questions fixed-alternative, scale, and open-ended.
Advantages:
·
Relatively inexpensive and is cost effective.
·
Questionnaires can cover all areas of a topic.
·
Respondent identity is protected.
·
Easy to visualize and analyse.
Disadvantages:
·
Answers may be dishonest or the respondents lose
interest midway.
·
Questionnaires can't produce qualitative data.
·
Questions might be left unanswered.
·
Respondents may have a hidden agenda.
·
Not all questions can be analysed easily.
Best Data Collection Tools for Questionnaire:
ü Form plus Online Questionnaire
ü Google form
ü Question papers
Types of questionnaire
- 1)
Open-ended
questions.
- 2)
closed-ended
questions.
- 3) Multiple Choice Questions
- 4) Opinion Scale Questions
- 5) Rank Order Questions.
1)
Open-ended questions
Open-ended questions
are free-form survey questions that allow respondents to answer in open text
format so that they can answer based on their complete knowledge, feeling, and
understanding.
Example: Open-ended questions
1.
How do you feel
about open science?
2.
How would you
describe your personality?
3.
In your opinion,
what is the biggest obstacle for productivity in remote work?
.
2)
closed-ended questions.
Close ended questions (also commonly called
objective questions) provide respondents with pre-defined answers like
"yes" or "no"
Examples of closed-ended questions
are:
·
Are you feeling
better today?
·
May I use the
bathroom?
·
Is the prime rib a
special tonight?
·
Should I date him?
·
Will you please do
me a favor?
3) Multiple Choice Questions
A multiple-choice question is a type of questionnaire/survey question
that provides
respondents with multiple answer options.
Example :
I)
How satisfied are you with our product or services?
·
Very satisfied
·
Somewhat satisfied
·
Yet to form an opinion
·
Not satisfied
·
Completely dissatisfied
4)
Opinion
Scale Questions
An
opinion scale survey question provides respondents with a scale of numbers as
answer options. These options range from 1
to 10, 0 to 100, 1 to 5, etc
5)
Rank Order
Questions.
The order and ranking questions mostly deal with the rank or position of
a person or thing either counted from top to bottom or from left to right and
vice-versa
Ex:
b]
Survey:
Ø A
survey is an investigation about the characteristics of a given population by
means of collecting data from a sample of that population and estimating their
characteristics through the systematic use of statistical methodology.
Ø Survey is
existing data and it involves adding measurement to a study or research.
Ø Example: survey
of literacy rate in a state, survey on number of people being vaccinated.
Advantages:
·
Accuracy is very high
·
Easily accessible
information
Disadvantages:
·
Evaluation or analysing is a problem.
·
Difficulty to understand
Best Data Collection Tools for Survey:
ü Research Journals
- A journal is a scholarly publication containing articles written by
researchers, professors, and other experts.
ü Surveys- Data
collection from a sample population
c]
Ø An interview is a
face-to-face conversation between two individuals with the sole purpose of
collecting relevant information to satisfy a research purpose.
Ø Interviews are of
three types. Namely:
a.
Structured interviews: It is based on simple verbal questionnaires
b.
Semi-structured interviews: Several key questions
are prepared to explore the area of subject
c.
Unstructured interviews: It is a in depth interview to collect wide range of data
Advantages:
·
In-depth information
·
Freedom of flexibility
·
Accurate data
Disadvantages:
·
Time-consuming
·
Data collection is
expensive
Best
Data Collection Tools for Interviews:
ü Audio Recorder
ü Digital Camera
ü Camcorder
d] Focus Groups:-
Ø This data
collection method focuses more on qualitative
research.
Advantages:
·
Information obtained is usually very detailed.
·
Cost-effective when compared to one-on-one interviews.
·
It reflects speed and efficiency in the supply of results.
Disadvantages:
·
Requires interviewer training
·
The researcher has very little control over the outcome.
·
A few vocal voices can drown out the rest.
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