LESSON 1: BASIC TERMINOLOGIES IN STATISTICS

Definition of Statistics
Statistics means different things to different people. To students, statistics refer to the test results that he
obtained for all his subjects. To businessmen, statistics means something that can be used as bases for future business
decisions or to some it may mean a new product that would bring more income for the business. To a guidance
counselor, statistics are IQ scores and other standardized test scores. To a high school principal, statistics pertain to
enrollment figures, reports and absenteeism, and salaries of teachers. To a basketball enthusiast, statistics are the
number of shots, number of free throws, and number of fouls. To an ordinary person, statistics simply means any set of
quantitative or numerical data.

Problem occurs in all types of discipline. Solving them entails the gathering of relevant data, which, if not properly
organized and analyzed, would be rendered useless and invalid. To make them meaningful, statistical methods have to
be employed.

Statistics is the science that deals with the method of collecting, organizing, presenting, analyzing, and
interpreting data. Statistical data refer to quantitative or numerical data of any kind (i.e., figures on sales, marriages, tax
returns, population, births, deaths, etc.)

Quantitative and Qualitative Data

There are two major classifications of variables: qualitative and quantitative. Variables such as sex, color, student
classification by year level, religion, occupation, and level of performance on a job are called qualitative variables.
Information obtained from this type of variables are called qualitative data. Other examples of qualitative variables
include date of birth, code number, zip code, telephone number. Observe that in these examples, the numbers cannot
be meaningfully added, subtracted, multiplied or divided.

Data arising from quantitative variables differ by how much. Variables like age, monthly income, size of family,
hourly output of a machine, and length of service are quantitative variables. These data can be subjected to arithmetic
operations.

Key Differences (Quantitative vs Qualitative Data)

S.N. Character Quantitative Data Qualitative Data

These are data that deal with These data, on the other hand, deals
1. Definition
quantities, values, or numbers. with quality.

2. Measurability Measurable. They are generally not measurable.

They are descriptive rather than

3. Nature of Data Expressed in numerical form. numerical in nature.

4. Research Methodology Conclusive Exploratory

Narratives often make use of

Measures quantities such as length, adjectives and other descriptive words
5. Quantities measured size, amount, price, and even duration. to refer to data on appearance, color,
texture, and other qualities.
 Method of collection Statistics is used to generate and They are only gained mostly through
6. subsequently analyze this type of data. observation.

7. Approach Objective Subjective

8. Data Structure Structured Unstructured

9. Determines Level of occurrence Depth of understanding

The uses of statistics add credence or

credibility to it so that quantitative data
10. Reliability Less reliable and objective.
is overall seen as more reliable and
objective.

Data Collection Quantitative surveys, Interviews, Qualitative surveys, Focus group

11.
Techniques Experiments methods, Documental revision, etc.

A large number of representative A small number of non-representative

12. Sample samples samples

Recommends the final course of

13. Outcome Develops initial understanding action

Descriptive and Inferential Statistics:

There are two branches of statistics. One is Descriptive Statistics which is devoted to the summarization and
description of data sets. It is concerned with the collection, organization, and presentation of data in a form that is
understandable to all. Construction of tables and graphs, and computations of measures such as averages and
percentages fall within this area of statistics.

The other Inferential Statistics is concerned with making decisions about a large body of data in the population
of interest by using a smaller portion or sample of that universe.

Population and Sample:

The term population as used in statistics refers to a group of aggregate people, objects or events combined by
a unique characteristic that makes it different from other groups. The data obtained about a population are known as
parameters. Population is a finite or infinite collection of objects, events, or individuals with specified class or
characteristics under consideration.

A sample is a collection of some elements in a population that typically represents the population. If the samples
adequately represent the population, then the data obtained are good approximations of the population parameters.
Data about samples, known as estimates or statistics. Sample is a finite or limited collection of objects, events, or
individuals selected from the population.

Variables
A variable is one of the basic concepts in statistics. It is an observable characteristic of a person or object under
investigation. It is capable of taking several values representing a certain category such as height, weight, age, year
level, IQ, achievement test scores, etc. They are the raw data or materials gathered by an investigator for statistical
analysis.

Dependent and Independent Variables

Variables may also be classified as independent or dependent variables. Independent variables are
those that can stand alone and cannot be controlled by the person or entity while dependent variables are
 those that depend on other variables for its values. Among profile variables, age, gender, height, father, mother
are some of the independent variables while weight, religion, attitudes, academic performance are some of the
dependent variables.

Discrete and Continuous Variables

Discrete variables are variables whose values are obtained by counting such as, the number of births,
deaths, marriages, students in any period of time, whereas, values that are obtained by measurements are
examples of continuous variables. The values of continuous variables can never be exact no matter what care
we exercise in measuring them. Examples are weights, heights, temperature, distance, etc. that sometimes can
be exact but most of the time, the results of measurements vary.

Scales of Measurement
Nominal Scale
Gives labels, characteristics, or categories
Examples:
Sex (Male, Female)
Race (Filipino, American, French)
Teaching Strategy (Inductive, Deductive)

Ordinal Scale
Categories can be rank ordered in terms of amount or magnitude.
Examples:
Class standing (first, second, third)
Academic Distinction (Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, Summa Cum Laude)
Size of Shirt (small, medium, large)

Interval Scale
Quantifies the difference between the values, or simply means range.
Do not have a true zero.

Examples:
Temperature (240C – 300C)
pH value ( clean rain has a pH value of 5.0 – 5.5)
Standard scores or z-scores ( -1.0 to + 1.0)

Ratio Scale
Same properties as the interval scale but with true zero
Examples:
Number of children
Weight
Annual income