Running head: CONFIDENCE INTERVAL 1

Introduction to quantitative analysis: Confidence interval

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
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Introduction to quantitative analysis: Confidence interval

Many times, researchers use estimation when they are analyzing a certain characteristic of a

particular population. In such a case, the researchers utilize the sample statistic to estimate the

population parameter of interest. Therefore, two types of estimation are available, that is point

estimate which uses a single value which represents the best guess about the intended

characteristic of the population. Another type is the interval estimate, which helps the

researchers to quantify the degree of the approximation error. The confidence interval refers to

the second method in social sciences since it assists in identifying the probability that the wanted

population parameter is within a particular range (Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2018).

This situation indicates that estimation using intervals go hand in hand with the confidence

levels, the variability of the chosen data, and also the sample sizes.

For this assignment, I operated the High School Longitudinal Study dataset to generate the

confidence interval relating to the variable of interest (Hours Spent Watching Television or

Movies on a Typical School Day.) SPSS software is used to calculate the correct output and give

an appropriate visual display (Wagner, 2016). The following are the results:

One-Sample Statistics
N Mean Std. Std. Error

Deviation Mean
Hours spent watching

television or movies on 20658 2.38 1.488 .010

a typical school day

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This first table of the output gives the summary of the dataset. For example, the data

contained 20658 individuals (students); the mean is 2.38 (hours watching television or movies),

standard deviation, 1.488, and standard error which is 0.010.

One-Sample Test
Test Value = 0
t df Sig. (2- Mean 95% Confidence

tailed) Difference Interval of the

Difference
Lower Upper
Hours spent

watching

television or 230.201 20657 .000 2.383 2.36 2.40

movies on a

typical school day

The second table gives the inferential statistics, which included the test of hypothesis and

calculation of the 95% confidence interval. The one-sample hypothesis tested is

Ho: μ=0 vs . H 1 ≠0. The test gave the t-test statistic, 230.201 with the 20657 degrees of freedom.

The mean difference found is 2.383 (hours spent watching television or movies). The conclusion

is that the researcher can reject the null hypothesis, which states that mean is equal to zero at

95% confidence level since the p-value (0.000) is less than 0.05 (risk error.) Apart from that, the

researcher can utilize the confidence interval and infer that he or she is 95% confident that the

true mean (2.38, hours spent watching television or movies on a typical school day) is within

[2.36 – 2.40] gap. This interval can change if the researcher alters the confidence level or the risk

(Frankfort-Nachmias & Leon-Guerrero, 2018). For instance, if the researcher decides to amend
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from 95% to 99% confidence level, the interval will widen, which reduces the risk from 5% to

1%.

It is evident from the results that the respondents spend between 2.36 to 2.40 hours watching

television or movies. The world is changing due to the emergence and development of

technology. With entertainment platforms becoming more and accessible than ever, people

continue to consume more and more content. This incidence affects the people in different

societies, especially the students since they tend to forget about their studies while engaging in

emerging technology. This confident interval indicates that the students spend more time on

television or movies on a typical school day instead of studying and focusing on activities that

Would brighten their future. If the students or young people spend much of their time on

technology, they may be at a higher risk that they expose themselves to unwanted behaviors like

pre-mature sexual activities, drug abuse, obesity, aggressiveness, and more (Terry & Malik,

2018.) These behaviors and activities will eventually affect their academic performance which is

paramount in attaining future dreams and desires. Therefore, all the stakeholders, for example,

school administration, governments, parents, and students, should worry about this confidence

interval of hours spent watching television and movies. All of the people involved should strive

to reduce the range and guide their children appropriately, especially on the matters relating to

emerging technology like watching television and movies. This analysis unveils that confidence

interval gives more information about a particular population which can help change students

and the society positively.

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References

Frankfort-Nachmias, C., & Leon-Guerrero, A. (2018). Social statistics for a diverse society

(8thed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Terry, M., & Malik, A. (2018). Video Gaming as a Factor That Affects Academic Performance

in Grade Nine. Online Submission.

Wagner, W. E. (2016). Using IBM® SPSS® statistics for research methods and social science

statistics (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.