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Running head: INTERPRETATION OF GRAPHS IN EXCEL AND SPSS 1

Interpretation of Graphs in Excel and SPSS

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Interpretation of Graphs in Excel and SPSS

Data visualization is defined as the communication of a data set in a visual manner to

make it easy for readers to understand and interpret (Green & Salkind, 2017). However, one

of the major struggles that slows down this process of statistical analysis and reporting is the

comprehension of the types of charts to use and why. This is because selecting the wrong

visualization tool may cause confusion with the audience. In addition, simply deciding to use

the most commonly used type of visualization may result in interpreting a data set wrongly.

Therefore, to create graphs or charts that offer the right canvas for reporting and analysis, one

must first understand why they need a specific visualization tool. In this brief analysis, four

key charts utilized in the visualization of data are presented as a way of understanding the

different types of charts appropriate for different situations. Additionally, an interpretation of

the charts is provided.

Brief Description of Data File

In this analysis, week_2_data.sav was used as the data set, which included four

variables including level of education (Education), employees’ marital status (Marital), the

age of the employees in years (Age) and level of income (income). Education and marital

status were measured at the nominal level of measurement whereas age and income were

measured at the ratio (scale) level of measurement. Green and Salkind (2017) put forth that it

is necessary to comprehend these levels of measurement because they dictate the appropriate

charts or graphs to use. Additionally, they also determine the appropriate statistical analysis

to use and how one can phrase a research question where applicable (Ali & Bhaskar, 2016).

In the case of level of education, 1 was used to describe the employees with a diploma

whereas 2 represented an employee with an associate degree, 3 represented an employee with

a bachelor’s degree and 4 represented an employee with a master’s degree. On the other
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hand, 1 was used to describe an employee who is single, 2 represented a married employee, 3

represented a separated employee and finally 4 represented a widowed employee.

Results and Analysis

For nominal level variables, pie charts or bar charts are recommended (Green &

Salkind, 2017). As such, both a pie chart and bar chart were used to visualize the level of

education and marital status respectively.

Level of Education

A pie chart of level of education was created to visualize the different degree levels

attained by the company’s employees. As can be seen in the pie chart above, diploma

(33.33%) was the most common employee level of education followed by a bachelor’s degree

(26.67%). Additionally, the pie chart shows that the percentage of employees with a master’s

degree (20.00%) and an associate degree (20.00%) was the same.

Marital Status
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A bar graph was created to visualize the percentage of employees by marital status.

The bar graph above shows that most of employees were widowed (46.70%) and few

employees were separated (13.33%). On the other hand, the bar graph illustrates that the

percentage of employees who were single (20.00%) and married (20.00%) was the same.

Green and Salkind (2017) also recommend using a histogram for ratio or interval

variables. Therefore, a histogram was used to visualize both employees’ age and their level of

income.

Employees’ Age

The histogram above, which shows the ages of the employees, was created to depict

the range of the employees’ age. The histogram shows that the employees’ ages were
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somewhat normally distributed. Most of the employees were between the ages of 26 and 50

years of age with ages between 27 and 35 being the most frequent. Further, the graph reveals

the average employees’ age was 36.47 years (SD = 8.30).

Employees Level of Income

The histogram reveals that the employees’ level of income was normally distributed

with a mean of (M = 83866.67, SD = 33410.58). Analysis further reveal that income levels

between 50,000 and 125,000 were most frequent. The lowest levels of income were 25,000,

125,000 and 150,000 with the highest level of income being 75,000.

Further, a scatter graph was used in this analysis to examine the relationship between

the level of income and an employee’s age. As can be seen in the figure below, there is a

linear positive relationship between the level of income and an employee’s age. Specifically,

as the age of an employee increases so does their level of income. This could possibly mean

that the longer an employee has been with the company in question the likely it is for them to

earn a higher salary. There are no significant outliers in this relationship.


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Conclusion

In conclusion, it is important to select the right data visualization tool when trying to

understand sample data. It is evident that graphs or charts are easier to represent a data set

and makes it easier to interpret, detect trends, patterns and outliers in the data. Further, the

measurement levels help determine the type of visualization tool to use.


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References

Ali, Z., & Bhaskar, S. (2016). Basic statistical tools in research and data analysis. Indian

Journal Of Anaesthesia, 60(9), 662. doi: 10.4103/0019-5049.190623

Green, S., & Salkind, N. (2017). Using SPSS for Windows and Macintosh, Books a la Carte

(8th ed.). New York: Pearson Education.

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