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Seema Sharma, Lovely Professional University Unit 7: Data Analysis and Interpretation

Unit 7: Data Analysis and Interpretation Notes

CONTENTS
Objectives
Introduction
7.1 Data Analysis
7.1.1 Verbal Description of Data
7.1.2 Numerical Description of Data

7.1.3 Analysis of Data
7.1.4 Qualitative Data Analysis
7.1.5 Collecting and Organizing Data
7.1.6 Content Analysis
7.1.7 Quantitative Data Analysis

7.1.8 Nature of Data
7.2 Summary
7.3 Keywords
7.4 Review Questions
7.5 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• Describe verbal description of data and numerical description of data.
• Explain content analysis.

• Define quantitative data analysis.
• Know primary and secondary data.

Introduction

In general, most evaluations conducted by local programs would lend themselves to descriptive
analysis of data. Descriptive analysis is a way of summarizing and aggregating results from
groups. If an evaluation has been conducted which employs a control group, or measures
changes in program participants over time, then it might be appropriate to employ inferential
analysis in which a decision is made about whether the particular results of the study are
“real”. More emphasis will be placed on descriptive analysis in this fact sheet.
Data analysis is a practice in which raw data is ordered and organized so that useful information
can be extracted from it. The process of organizing and thinking about data is key to understanding
what the data does and does not contain. There are a variety of ways in which people can
approach data analysis, and it is notoriously easy to manipulate data during the analysis

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