Hello, Researcher!

Lesson 3.3:
Interpreting the
Results from a
Bivariate (Pearson)
Correlational Analysis
You have learned how to interpret data from the results of t-tests in the previous
lesson. For this session, you will learn how to interpret the results from a Bivariate
(Pearson) Correlational analysis.

At the end of this lesson, you must be able to:

 construct a table for correlational analysis
 interpret the results of a bivariate correlational analysis

DISCUSSION

A correlation expresses the strength of linkage or co-

occurrence between to variables in a single value between -1 and
+1.  This value that measures the strength of linkage is
called correlation coefficient, which is represented typically as the
letter r.

Recall in your Statistics class that the correlation coefficient between two
continuous-level variables is also called Pearson’s r or Pearson product-moment
correlation coefficient.  A positive r value expresses a positive relationship between the
two variables (the larger A, the larger B) while a negative r value indicates a negative
relationship (the larger A, the smaller B).  A correlation coefficient of zero indicates no
relationship between the variables at all.  However, correlations are limited to linear
relationships between variables. Even if the correlation coefficient is zero, a non-linear
relationship might exist.

PEARSON r CAN ONLY BE USED IN ANALYZING THE

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERVAL AND RATIO VARIABLES

Let us also recall that there are four steps in interpreting data:

1. the interpretation must start with a prefatory statement discussing how

the data were treated prior to interpretation,
2. introduce the table where the data are presented and highlight the
significant findings,
 3. provide meaning and implication to the findings, and
4. corroborate findings to the previous researches, theories or concepts.

Example 1. Teacher X wanted to determine if the profile his students is related to their
mathematics anxiety level. He conducts a research to validated his claim and the results
are presented in the table below.

Table 4. Correlational Analysis between the Profile of the Respondents and their
Mathematics Anxiety
Mathematics Anxiety
Variables
r-value p-value
Attitudes towards Math -.843 .000
Study Habits in Mathematics .018 .088
Peer Influence .233 .111
Mathematics Performance -.935 .000

Step 1. The interpretation must start with a prefatory statement discussing how the data
were treated prior to interpretation.

In-text interpretation:
Inferential statistics using the Pearson Product Moment of
Correlation was used to test the null hypothesis that the profile of the
respondents is significantly related to their mathematics anxiety level.

Step 2. Introduce the table where the data are presented and highlight the significant
findings

In-text interpretation:
Table 4 presents the results of the correlational analysis. The table
shows that the students’ Attitude towards Math (r-value=-.843, p-
value=.000) and their Mathematics Performance (r-value=-.935, p-
value=.000) are significantly related to the Mathematics Anxiety Level of
the Students since the p-values are less than the level of significance set in
the study

Step 3. Provide meaning and implication to the findings

In-text interpretation:

The results indicate that the null hypothesis is rejected. This means
that the Attitude towards Mathematics and the Mathematics Performance
of the students have very high (negative) correlation with their
Mathematics Anxiety Level. The results imply that a higher level of
attitude towards Math and a higher mathematics performance results to a
lower Mathematics Anxiety level. Conversely, a student with a low level of
 attitude towards Mathematics and a low Mathematics Performance tends
to have a high Mathematics Anxiety level.

The results suggest that teachers should continuously device

schemes that would encourage students love mathematics to elevate their
attitude towards Mathematics, which could also result to a higher
Mathematics performance

Step 4. Corroborate findings to the previous researches, theories or concepts

In-text interpretation:

The results of this study are consistent with the findings of Durani
and Taruq (2009) who found a negative correlation between mathematics
anxiety and attitude towards Mathematics when studying the relationship
between variables in the relation to perceptions of undergraduate
students’ competence at numeracy skills. However, it contradicts the
previously reported findings of Chamman & Callingham (2013) who
found out that a positive relationship between the students’ attitude
towards mathematics and mathematics anxiety.

Moreover, the negative relationship between Mathematics

Performance and Math Anxiety is supported by the Deficit Theory (Eller,
1989), which states that people who start out with poorer maths
performance are more likely to develop anxiety about maths. On the other
hand, the result negates the finding of Dogaylo-An and Tancinco (2016)
who concluded that school math grades do not have significant
relationship with mathematics anxiety.

Those are the four steps in interpreting the results from a correlational analysis!

How do I present then the result of the study in my research manuscript?

Combine the in-text interpretations in the four steps and that will be the
interpretation for your table! The interpretation is shown in the next page.
Table 4. Correlational Analysis between the Profile of the Respondents and their
Mathematics Anxiety
Mathematics Anxiety
Variables
r-value p-value
Attitudes towards Math -.843 .000
Study Habits in Mathematics .018 .088
Peer Influence .233 .111
Mathematics Performance -.935 .000

Inferential statistics using the Pearson Product Moment of Correlation was used to
test the null hypothesis that the profile of the respondents is significantly related to their
mathematics anxiety level at 0.05 level of significance.

Table 4 presents the results of the correlational analysis. The table shows that the
students’ Attitude towards Math (r-value=-.843, p-value=.000) and their Mathematics
Performance (r-value=-.935, p-value=.000) are significantly related to the Mathematics
Anxiety Level of the Students since the p-values are less than the level of significance set
in the study.

The results indicate that the null hypothesis is rejected. This means that the
Attitude towards Mathematics and the Mathematics Performance of the students have
very high (negative) correlation with their Mathematics Anxiety Level. The results imply
that a higher level of attitude toward Math and a higher mathematics performance results
to a lower Mathematics Anxiety level. Conversely, a student with a low level of attitude
towards Mathematics and a low Mathematics Performance tends to have a high
Mathematics Anxiety level.

The results suggest that teachers should continuously device schemes that would
encourage students love mathematics to elevate their attitude towards Mathematics,
which could also result to a higher Mathematics performance

The results of this study are consistent with the findings of Durani and Taruq
(2009) who found a negative correlation between mathematics anxiety and attitude
towards Mathematics when studying the relationship between variables in the relation to
perceptions of undergraduate students’ competence at numeracy skills. However, it
contradicts the previously reported findings of Chamman & Callingham (2013) who
found out that a positive relationship between the students attitude towards mathematics
and mathematics anxiety.

Moreover, the negative relationship between Mathematics Performance and Math

Anxiety is supported by the Deficit Theory (Eller, 1989), which states that people who
start out with poorer maths performance are more likely to develop anxiety about maths.
On the other hand, the result negates the finding of Dogaylo-An and Tancinco (2016)
who concluded that school math grades do not have significant relationship with
mathematics anxiety.
 SUMMARY
There are four steps in interpreting data.

1. the interpretation must start with a prefatory statement discussing how

the data were treated prior to interpretation,
2. introduce the table where the data are presented and highlight the
significant findings,
3. provide meaning and implication to the findings, and
4. corroborate findings to the previous researches, theories or concepts.

Before answering the activities below, relax

and have a 15-minute coffee break or ice-
break! 

LEARNING TASKS

1. Interpret the tables below using the four steps discussed in this
module. Include supporting studies (as many as you can) together with
the references using APA format.

Success Rate in Research

Variables
r-value p-value
English for Academic and
Professional Purposes .655 .002
Performance

Crop Yields
Variables
r-value p-value
Amount of Fertilizer .222 .051

2. You have gathered your data in your quantitative research. If your study used a
correlational analysis, have your data computed for its r-value and follow the steps in this
module as a guide for your analysis and interpretation.
Let’s Check!

Congratulations! You have reached the end of this lesson. Submit your
answers to your teacher and find out if you got a passing score. 
If you passed, proceed to the next lesson. But of you failed, read this
lesson and try to answer the exercises again.
 Interpreting the Results of
Bivariate (Pearson) Correlational Analysis

For Senior High School

Christian S. Domondon
Jake B. Garnace
Rainalda T. Rambuyon
Aurelia T. Vitamog
2020