Toolkit: Descriptive statistics

Exclusive content on Boosty, video classes on YouTube, summaries and notes on Instagram, units 1~5 content in the best free textbook, class extracts on TikTok, text preview below. Have fun!

Chapter contents:

How to — how the tool works
Pros and cons — evaluation of the tool
IA — how to apply the tool in IA
Example — sample IA extract with the tool

The main purpose of descriptive statistics is to show research findings in a “digestible” way.

Just a reminder to keep a record of all the tools in the table below. As long as you can fill in all the cells of the table, you will be able to write a successful IA.

How to

How the tool works

Descriptive statistics are visual techniques used to summarise and present data. They make it easier to “digest” data. If all data was presented as text, it would be very hard to comprehend. Sometimes, it’s much easier to just use one of the descriptive statistics techniques:

averages (mean, mode, median),
visual tools (bar chart, pie chart, infographics),
statistical techniques (quartiles, standard deviation).

Figure 1. Descriptive statistics techniques

Let’s see what each of descriptive statistics techniques mean. For most of them, it is easier to understand the meaning by looking at the examples in the pictures (Figures 2~9), so pay attention to illustrations in this chapter.

Mean is the value obtained by dividing several quantities by their number. Simply speaking, it’s an average.

Figure 2. Mean

Mode is the value that appears the most frequently. In other words, it’s modal average.

Figure 3. Mode

Median is the middle value (or average of two values) in a set of ranked values. In other words, it’s median average.

Figure 4. Median

Bar chart is a diagram in which numeric values are represented by height/length of lines (bars). It is suitable for displaying frequency.

Figure 5. Bar chart

Pie chart is a graph in which a circle is divided into sectors to represent proportion of a whole. It is suitable for showing proportions/percentages.

Figure 6. Pie chart

Infographics is a graphic representation of information/data. It is suitable when other descriptive statistics techniques don’t apply and are not effective for presenting data.

Figure 7. Infographics. Source: statista.com

Quartiles refer to dividing data into four parts (quarters). Quartiles are helpful when relative position of variables is unclear. For example...

Read full chapter and watch full video class here:

https://boosty.to/lewwinski