Week 1 Introduction To Statistics 8 11am

Introduction to
Statistics in
Education
Importance of Statistics in
Educational Research and
Decision-Making
1. Overview of Statistics in Education:
 Statistics is essential in educational research as it

provides methods for collecting, analyzing,
interpreting, and presenting data. It helps
educators and researchers understand patterns
and trends in educational processes and outcomes.
2. Key Roles in Educational Research:
Data Collection & Analysis: Statistics enable
systematic data collection and analysis to generate
valid conclusions about educational interventions or
programs.
Evaluation & Assessment: It helps in evaluating
teaching strategies, learning outcomes, curriculum
effectiveness, and student performance, ensuring
informed decisions are made based on evidence.
Measuring Impact: It aids in measuring the
impact of different educational methods, policies,
or initiatives on student learning and institutional
performance.
3. Contribution to Decision-Making:
Evidence-Based Policies: Statistical findings
guide the development of education policies that
are grounded in data rather than assumptions.
Resource Allocation: Decision-makers can use
statistical data to allocate resources efficiently,
prioritizing areas where improvements are needed
most.
Performance Monitoring: Regular use of
statistics helps track progress, monitor
performance trends over time, and support
accountability in the education system.
Improving Student Learning: By analyzing
assessment data, educators can make data-driven
changes to instructional methods to improve
student learning outcomes.
Five Important Words in
Statistics
The five words are population, sample,
parameter, statistic (singular), and variable form
the basic vocabulary of statistics. You cannot
learn much about statistics unless you first learn
the meanings of these five words.
1. POPULATION
CONCEPT
All the members of a group about which you want to

draw a conclusion.
EXAMPLES
All U.S. citizens who are currently registered to vote, all

patients treated at a particular hospital last year, the
entire daily output of a cereal factory’s production line.
2. SAMPLE
CONCEPT
The part of the population selected for analysis.
EXAMPLES
The registered voters selected to participate in a recent

survey concerning their intention to vote in the next
election, the patients selected to fill out a patient-
satisfaction questionnaire, 100 boxes of cereal selected
from a factory’s production line.
3. PARAMETER
CONCEPT
A numerical measure that describes a characteristic of a population.
EXAMPLES
The percentage of all registered voters who intend to vote in the
next election.
The percentage of all patients who are very satisfied with the care
they received.
The average weight of all the cereal boxes produced on a factory’s
production line on a particular day.
4. STATISTIC
CONCEPT
A numerical measure that describes a characteristic of a sample.
EXAMPLES
The percentage of all registered voters who intend to vote in the

next election.
The percentage of all patients who are very satisfied with the care
they received.
The average weight of all the cereal boxes produced on a factory’s

production line on a particular day.
INTERPRETATION
Calculating statistics for a sample is the most

common activity, because collecting population data
is impractical for most actual decision-making
situations.
5. VARIABLE
CONCEPT
A characteristic of an item or an individual that will be

analyzed using statistics.
EXAMPLES
Gender, the household income of the citizens who voted in the

last presidential election, the publishing category (hardcover,
trade paperback, mass-market paperback, textbook) of a
book, the number of varieties of a brand of cereal.
INTERPRETATION. All the variables taken together form the data
of an analysis. Although you may have heard people saying that
they are analyzing their data, they are, more precisely, analyzing
their variables. You should distinguish between a variable, such as
gender, and its value for an individual, such as male. An
observation is all the values for an individual item in the sample.
For example, a survey might contain two variables, gender and age.
The first observation might be male, 40. The second observation
might be female, 45. The third observation might be female, 55. A
variable is sometimes known as a column of data because of the
convention of entering each observation as a unique row in a table
of data.
Variables can be divided into the following types:
Categorical Variables Numerical Variables
Concept The values of these variables The values of these variables involve
are selected from an a counted or measured value.
established list of categories.
Subtypes None Discrete values are counts of things.
Continuous values are measures,

and any value can theoretically
occur, limited only by the precision
of the measuring process.
Examples Gender, a variable that has the The number of previous presidential
categories male and female. elections in which a citizen voted, a
discrete numerical variable
Academic major, a variable that

might have the categories The household income of a citizen
English, Math, Science, and who voted, a continuous variable.
History, among others.
All variables should have an operational definition—
that is, a universally accepted meaning that is clear
to all associated with an analysis. Without operational
definitions, confusion can occur.
Types of Data (Qualitative vs. Quantitative)
Qualitative Data
 Definition: Describes qualities or characteristics
and is non-numeric.
 Nature: Subjective and involves opinions,
experiences, or descriptive information.
 Examples in Education:
o Interview responses from students and teachers
o Observations of classroom behavior
o Open-ended survey questions
 Use in Research: Useful for understanding underlying

reasons, opinions, or motivations. Often employed in
exploratory research to gain deeper insights into
complex phenomena.
Quantitative Data:
 Definition: Involves numbers and can be measured
or counted.
 Nature: Objective and statistical.
o Test scores
o Attendance rates
o Graduation rates
o Likert scale survey responses
 Use in Research: Used for hypothesis testing,

quantifying patterns, and analyzing relationships between
variables. Essential in research that seeks to generalize
findings to larger populations.
Levels of
Measurement
Nominal Level
Ordinal Level
Interval Level
Ratio Level
1. NOMINAL LEVEL
 Definition: The lowest level of measurement; categorizes data
into distinct groups or categories without any ranking or order.
 Characteristics:
o No inherent order or value difference between categories.
o Data are labels or names.
o Types of schools (public, private, charter)
o Gender (male, female)
o Subjects taught (math, science, history)

2. ORDINAL LEVEL
 Definition: Data can be ordered or ranked, but the intervals
between values are not equal or meaningful.
o Reflects a ranking or order of items.
o Differences between ranks are not consistent.
o Class rankings (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
o Letter grades (A, B, C, D)
o Student satisfaction ratings (satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied)

3. INTERVAL LEVEL
 Definition: Data have meaningful intervals between
values, but there is no true zero point.
o Equal intervals between units of measurement.
o No absolute zero, meaning zero does not imply the

absence of the variable.
o Standardized test scores (e.g., IQ scores)
o Temperature in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit
o Time of day (e.g., 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM)

4. RATIO LEVEL
 Definition: The highest level of measurement, where
data have equal intervals and a true zero point,
allowing for meaningful comparisons of ratios.
o True zero point exists, meaning zero represents an

absence of the characteristic.
o Ratios are meaningful (e.g., twice as much).
o Height and weight of students
o Test scores (where zero represents no correct

answers)
o Number of books read by students
References
Berenson, M. L., D. M. Levine, and T. C. Krehbiel, 2004. Basic Business
Statistics:Concepts and Applications, Ninth Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall.
Eusebius Doedel, 2000. Probability and Statistics
Isotalo, J., 2000. Basic Statistics.
Paglomutan R. (2021). Module in Statistics and Probability. Guimaras State

University
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Introduction to

1. Overview of Statistics in Education:

 Statistics is essential in educational research as it

All the members of a group about which you want to

All U.S. citizens who are currently registered to vote, all

The part of the population selected for analysis.

The registered voters selected to participate in a recent

A numerical measure that describes a characteristic of a sample.

The percentage of all registered voters who intend to vote in the

The average weight of all the cereal boxes produced on a factory’s

Calculating statistics for a sample is the most

A characteristic of an item or an individual that will be

Gender, the household income of the citizens who voted in the

Continuous values are measures,

Academic major, a variable that

o Interview responses from students and teachers

o Observations of classroom behavior

o Open-ended survey questions

 Use in Research: Useful for understanding underlying

o Likert scale survey responses

 Use in Research: Used for hypothesis testing,

o No inherent order or value difference between categories.

o Data are labels or names.

o Types of schools (public, private, charter)

o Gender (male, female)

o Subjects taught (math, science, history)

o Reflects a ranking or order of items.

o Differences between ranks are not consistent.

o Class rankings (1st, 2nd, 3rd)

o Letter grades (A, B, C, D)

o Student satisfaction ratings (satisfied, neutral, dissatisfied)

o Equal intervals between units of measurement.

o No absolute zero, meaning zero does not imply the

o Standardized test scores (e.g., IQ scores)

o Temperature in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit

o Time of day (e.g., 12:00 PM, 1:00 PM)

o True zero point exists, meaning zero represents an

o Height and weight of students

o Test scores (where zero represents no correct

Eusebius Doedel, 2000. Probability and Statistics

Isotalo, J., 2000. Basic Statistics.

Paglomutan R. (2021). Module in Statistics and Probability. Guimaras State

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