Republic of the Philippines

Sorsogon State University

SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES
Sorsogon City

Exploring Measures of Shapes and its Cross-Disciplinary

Applications

A Collaborative Output
submitted by:

Group Leader: Jeric B. Wong (MAED-MATH)

Documenter: Justine F. Ortile (MAM-PA)
Group Monitor: Hazel H. Peling (MAT-TE-FSM)
Active Members: Judy Ann M. Salle (MAM-AS)
Arlene O. Panesa (MAM-PA)
Christian Behil (MAT-TE ET)
Milky Susanna F. Gallardo (MAED-FIL)

Submitted to:

Mr. Michael Domanais

Instructor

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in Statistical Methods

September 2023
I. TITLE
Exploring Measures of Shapes and its Cross-Disciplinary Applications

II. DESCRIPTION
The paper titled "Exploring Measures of Shapes and its Cross-Disciplinary
Applications" is a collaborative effort by graduate students from Sorsogon State
University, School of Graduate Studies. It focuses on the concepts of skewness
and kurtosis and their applications across diverse disciplines. The paper
introduces measures of shape, distinguishes between symmetrical and
asymmetrical data distributions, and explains the significance of skewness and
kurtosis in describing data patterns. It explores the practical applications of these
measures in fields such as education, public administration, and school
administration and supervision. Additionally, the paper discusses the challenges
associated with their application and provides guidance on graphing skewness and
kurtosis using Excel, making it a valuable resource for understanding and utilizing
these statistical concepts in various professional contexts.
III. OBJECTIVES
After reading and analyzing this material, you will be able to:
1. examine the concept of Skewness and Kurtosis;
2. recognize the application of Skewness and Kurtosis in fields such as
education, public administration, and school administration and supervision;
and
3. identify challenges in applying Skewness and Kurtosis across disciplines.
IV. DISCUSSION
Measures of shape describe the distribution (or pattern) of the data within a
dataset. The distribution shape of quantitative data can be described as there is a
logical order to the values, and the 'low' and 'high' end values on the x-axis of the
histogram are able to be identified. The distribution shape of a qualitative data
cannot be described as the data are not numeric.

Shapes of a dataset
A distribution of data item values may be symmetrical or asymmetrical. Two
common examples of symmetry and asymmetry are the 'normal distribution' and
the 'skewed distribution'.
Symmetrical distribution
In a symmetrical distribution the two sides of the distribution are a mirror image of
each other. A normal distribution is a true symmetric distribution of observed
values.
When a histogram is constructed on values that are normally distributed, the shape
of columns forms a symmetrical bell shape. This is why this distribution is also
known as a 'normal curve' or 'bell curve'.
The following graph is an example of a normal distribution.
If represented as a 'normal curve' (or bell curve) the graph would take the following
shape (where µ = mean, and σ = standard deviation):

Bell curve example

Key features of the normal distribution:

• symmetrical shape
• mode, median and mean are the same and are together in the center of
the curve
• there can only be one mode (i.e., there is only one value which is most
frequently observed)
• most of the data are clustered around the center, while the more extreme
values on either side of the center become less rare as the distance from
the center increases (i.e., About 68% of values lie within one standard
deviation (σ) away from the mean; about 95% of the values lie within two
standard deviations; and about 99.7% are within three standard deviations.
This is known as the empirical rule or the 3-sigma rule.

Asymmetrical distribution
In an asymmetrical distribution the two sides will not be mirror images of each
other. Skewness is the tendency for the values to be more frequent around the
high or low ends of the x-axis.
When a histogram is constructed for skewed data, it is possible to identify
skewness by looking at the shape of the distribution.
For example:
A distribution is said to be positively skewed when the tail on the right side of the
histogram is longer than the left side. Most of the values tend to cluster toward
the left side of the x-axis (i.e., the smaller values) with increasingly fewer values at
the right side of the x-axis (i.e., the larger values).

A distribution is said to be negatively skewed when the tail on the left side of the
histogram is longer than the right side. Most of the values tend to cluster toward
the right side of the x-axis (i.e., the larger values), with increasingly less values on
the left side of the x-axis (i.e., the smaller values).

Key features of the skewed distribution:

• asymmetrical shape
• mean and median have different values and do not all lie at the center of
the curve
• there can be more than one mode
• the distribution of the data tends towards the high or low end of the dataset

Uses of measure of shape

• The shape of the distribution can assist with identifying other descriptive
statistics, such as which measure of central tendency is appropriate to use.
• If the data are normally distributed, the mean, median and mode are all
equal, and therefore are all appropriate measure of central tendency.
 • If data are skewed, the median may be a more appropriate measure of
central tendency.

The mean, mode and median can be used to figure out if you have a positively or
negatively skewed distribution.
• If the mean is greater than the mode, the distribution is positively skewed.
• If the mean is less than the mode, the distribution is negatively skewed.
• If the mean is greater than the median, the distribution is positively skewed.
• If the mean is less than the median, the distribution is negatively skewed.
What Is Kurtosis?
Kurtosis is a statistical measure used to describe a characteristic of a dataset.
When normally distributed data is plotted on a graph, it generally takes the form of
a bell. This is called the bell curve. The plotted data that are furthest from the mean
of the data usually form the tails on each side of the curve. Kurtosis indicates how
much data resides in the tails.
Distributions with a large kurtosis have more tail data than normally distributed
data, which appears to bring the tails in toward the mean. Distributions with low
kurtosis have fewer tail data, which appears to push the tails of the bell curve away
from the mean.
Formula and Calculation of Kurtosis
Calculating With Spreadsheets
There are several different methods for calculating kurtosis. The simplest way is to
use the Excel or Google Sheets formula. For instance, assume you have the
following sample data: 4, 5, 6, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 5, and 8 residing in cells A1 through
A10 on your spreadsheet. The spreadsheets use this formula for calculating
kurtosis:

However, we'll use the following formula in Google Sheets, which calculates it for
us, assuming the data resides in cells A1 through A10:
= KURT(A1:A10)
The result is a kurtosis of -0.1518, indicating the curve has lighter tails and is
platykurtic.
Types of Kurtosis
There are three categories of kurtosis that a set of data can display—mesokurtic,
leptokurtic, and platykurtic. All measures of kurtosis are compared against a
normal distribution curve.

Mesokurtic (Kurtosis = 3.0)

The first category of kurtosis is mesokurtic distribution. This distribution has a
kurtosis similar to that of the normal distribution, meaning the extreme value
characteristic of the distribution is similar to that of a normal distribution. Therefore,
a stock with a mesokurtic distribution generally depicts a moderate level of risk.
Leptokurtic (Kurtosis > 3.0)
The second category is leptokurtic distribution. Any distribution that is leptokurtic
displays greater kurtosis than a mesokurtic distribution. This distribution appears
as a curve one with long tails (outliers.) The "skinniness" of a leptokurtic distribution
is a consequence of the outliers, which stretch the horizontal axis of the histogram
graph, making the bulk of the data appear in a narrow ("skinny") vertical range.
Platykurtic (Kurtosis < 3.0)
The final type of distribution is platykurtic distribution. These types of distributions
have short tails (fewer outliers.). Platykurtic distributions have demonstrated more
stability than other curves because extreme price movements rarely occurred in
the past. This translates into a less-than-moderate level of risk.
Why Is Kurtosis Important?
Kurtosis explains how often observations in some data sets fall in the tails vs. the
center of a probability distribution. In finance and investing, excess kurtosis is
interpreted as a type of risk known as "tail risk," or the chance of a loss occurring
due to a rare event, as predicted by a probability distribution. If such events are
more common than predicted by a distribution, the tails are said to be "fat."
KEY TAKEAWAYS
 • Kurtosis describes the "fatness" of the tails found in probability distributions.
• There are three kurtosis categories—mesokurtic (normal), platykurtic (less
than normal), and leptokurtic (more than normal).
• Kurtosis risk is a measurement of how often an investment's price moves
dramatically.
• A curve's kurtosis characteristic tells you how much kurtosis risk the
investment you're evaluating has.
Application of Measures of Shapes in Different Fields
Statistics such as skewness and kurtosis can tell us how the data are distributed
and shaped. They can be useful in the field of education, public administration, and
schools’ supervision and administration particularly in research and evaluation
situations, even if they are more frequently utilized in industries like finance,
economics, and data analysis. The following are some applications of skewness
and kurtosis in these fields:
1.) In Education
• Assessment and Test Score Analysis: In the field of education,
standardized tests and assessments are frequently used to gauge
students' levels of knowledge and proficiency. Researchers and
educators can benefit from skewedness and kurtosis in
understanding the distribution of test scores. A favorably skewed
distribution of scores, for instance, would show that most students
did well while a few did poorly. On the other hand, a negatively
skewed distribution can imply that most students did poorly while a
select few did really well. Making decisions on test difficulty and
fairness is influenced by understanding the distribution of scores.
• Evaluation of the Curriculum: Skewness and kurtosis can be used
to examine how grades are distributed within a course or among
several courses. This can assist teachers in determining the
appropriateness of grading procedures and the existence of grade
inflation or deflation. Grades may be concentrated around a small
number of values if there is a high kurtosis value, which indicates a
more peaked distribution, while there may be a flatter distribution of
grades if there is a low kurtosis value.
• Research in Educational Psychology: Skewness and kurtosis can
be employed in studies on student motivation, learning preferences,
and academic accomplishment that fall under the umbrella of
educational psychology. These measurements can aid researchers
in comprehending the distributional properties of psychological
variables and their influence on academic outcomes.

2.) In Public Policy Analysis (Public Administration)

• Skewness: Skewness measures the asymmetry of a probability
distribution. In public policy analysis, this can be useful for
understanding the distribution of data related to different policy
parameters, such as income, education, or health spending. Positive
skewness indicates that the data is skewed to the right, meaning
there may be a few extreme values or outliers that influence policy
decisions. Negative skew indicates data is skewed to the left, which
can also influence policy decisions because it can indicate a
concentration of values at the lower end.
 • Kurtosis: Kurtosis measures the tail or peak of the probability
distribution. In public policy analysis, this can help assess the level
of risk or uncertainty associated with certain policy outcomes. High
kurtosis indicates rich data, which means there is a higher probability
of outliers, which policymakers should take into account when
planning for contingencies or managing risks. Low kurtosis indicates
a smooth distribution, which may imply more stable policy outcomes.

3.) In School Administration and Supervision

• Budget Allocations: In school administration, you might analyze
budget allocations across different departments. If the budget
distribution is positively skewed, it means that most departments
receive lower funding with a few receiving significantly higher
amounts. This could prompt a review of resource allocation policies.
The kurtosis value would help you understand whether these
differences are extreme or moderate.
• Teachers’ Workload: Skewness and kurtosis can also be applied to
analyze teachers’ workload. If the distribution of workload hours is
negatively skewed, it suggests that most teachers have heavy
workloads, with a few having lighter ones. High kurtosis would
indicate that the differences in workload are extreme, potentially
leading to burnout concerns. This is applicable to big schools
specifically those with subject teachers.

Challenges in applying Skewness and Kurtosis Across Different Disciplines

Be it any type of data set expressing the status of industries/segments, when it
comes to conducting Exploratory Data Analysis; our intent holds a tight grip on
descriptive statistics where apart from the measure of central tendency, skewness
and kurtosis also reveal some vital facts about the data given for analysis.
Statistical measures of variation help to make better decisions if their values are
interpreted and understood well.

1. Data gathering - it is fine when you have data for the whole process but
when it is only a sample, it does not necessarily apply to the whole process.
2. Interpretation/analysis of the given data and its approach and how to
implement it.
3. Reliability measures the risk of potential application failures and the
stability of an application when confronted with unexpected conditions.
4. Gross misuse of statistics - to perform any standard statistical method
because the fundamental assumption that the observations are
independent and identically distributed is grossly violated.

Challenges of Skewness and Kurtosis in School Administration and

Supervision

Applying skewness and kurtosis in school administration and supervision can be

challenging due to several reasons:
a) Skewness and kurtosis statistics require a deep understanding of statistical
concepts. School administrators and supervisors may not have the necessary
statistical knowledge to interpret these measures accurately;
b) The accuracy of skewness and kurtosis calculations depends on the quality of
the data. Educational data can be complex, with missing values and outliers,
making it challenging to apply these measures effectively;
c) Explaining skewness and kurtosis findings to stakeholders, such as teachers,
parents, and students, can be challenging. These concepts may not be easily
understood or relevant to educational decision-making; and
d) School administrators and supervisors often prioritize more education-specific
metrics like test scores, attendance, and teacher evaluations, which may be more
directly related to their decision-making processes.

V. ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES

A.) In Education

Example 1.

Analyzing first quarter test scores of Home Economics students using both
skewness and kurtosis.

First Quarterly Examination

INTERPRETATION:

Skewness: The data shows positive skewness. The mean of the data is greater
than the median (a large number of data-pushed on the right-hand side).

Example 2.
Analyzing the shape of data in the test result of PHIL-IRI (Filipino) S.Y. 2023-2024
in Juban National High School.

Skewness is relevant to analyze reading test result because it provides valuable

and important information about the distribution and shape of the data. It also helps
researchers or us educators to determine the nature of the test scores and provide
necessary information to plan for interventions.

Given the result of Phil-IRI, it tells us whether the data is negatively or positively
skewed, or approximately symmetric. Here are the sample test scores of Grade-7
students who undergone reading assessment during the conduct of PHIL-IRI
which will be analyze using skewness.

Subject: PHIL-IRI (Filipino) 2023-2024

Total no. of Items: 30 items

n= 20
Based on the given result of the data, the result of reading assessment in PHIL-
IRI S.Y. 2023-2024 in Juban National High School is positively skewed.

B.) In Public Administration

Imagine a government is evaluating a policy aimed at reducing income inequality
in a particular region. They collect income data from the population before and
after implementing the policy.
1. Skewness
- Skewness measures the asymmetry of a data distribution. In this case, the
government may compute skewness to determine if the income distribution is
skewed. If the pre-policy income distribution has a positive skew (meaning it's
skewed to the right), it indicates that a significant portion of the population has low
income.
- Result: If skewness is positive before the policy, it suggests income inequality
favoring higher-income individuals, which might be a motivation for implementing
the policy.
2. Kurtosis
- Kurtosis measures the "tailedness" of a distribution. High kurtosis indicates heavy
tails (outliers), while low kurtosis indicates light tails.
- Scenario 1: If the pre-policy income distribution has high positive kurtosis, it
means there are significant outliers with very high incomes. The policy analysis
team might consider if these outliers are driving income inequality and whether the
policy can address this issue.
- Scenario 2: If the pre-policy income distribution has low kurtosis, it implies a
flatter distribution with fewer outliers. In this case, the government may need to
focus on a broader set of factors contributing to income inequality.
In either scenario, the government's public policy analysis would use skewness
and kurtosis measures to gain insights into the nature of income inequality, which
would inform the design and implementation of the policy to achieve its objectives.
These statistical measures help policymakers better understand the distribution of
income and tailor their interventions accordingly to address the specific issues
within that distribution.
C.) In School Administration and Supervision
Skewness and kurtosis are statistical concepts often used in data analysis to
understand the distribution of data. In the context of school administration and
supervision.
Analyzing the Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form
(IPCRF) Ratings of teachers for the school year 2022-2023

Interpretation:

Mean: 4.612 (average)

Median: 4.670 (middle value when sorted)
Mode: No mode (no value appears more than one)
Skewness: It’s slightly positively skewed, meaning it has a longer tail on the right
side of the distribution.
Kurtosis: It has a platykurtic distribution, which means it has thinner tails and is
less peaked than a normal distribution.

VI. TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION

Integrating technology to graph skewness and kurtosis can provide a visual

presentation of the data’s shape and distribution. Below is a step-by-step guide
on how to use technology, specifically excel, to graph skewness and kurtosis.

4 Easy Steps to Create Graph of Skewness and Kurtosis in Excel

STEP 1. Create a Summary Statistics Table. In the first step, we need to create a
Summary Table that contains Mean, Standard Deviation, Skewness, and
Kurtosis.
• First of all, from your Data tab, go to,
Data Analysis Data Analysis

• The Data Analysis pop-up box will appear. Select Descriptive Statistics
from there.
• Then click OK to open the Descriptive Statistics dialogue box.
• In the box, select the Input range (Test Score) from cells C5 through C20.
• Next, select the Columns and the Output Range.
• In the Output Range, select the cell where you want your Summary
Statistics table to appear.
• Then check the box of Summary Statistics and click OK.

• Hence, the Summary Statistics table will appear in your desired cell.
STEP 2. Calculate Bin Intervals. Now we will calculate bin intervals using the
Mean and the Standard Deviation values.
• First, insert a column named Intervals.
• Next, select cell F5 and write down the following formula.
=$E$6-2*$E$10
• Similarly, type formulas to cells F6 to F9 and determine Bin Intervals. All
the formulas are given in the Formula column.

STEP 3. Determine Frequency. In this step, we will determine Frequency using

the Histogram tool.
• First, go to Data Data Analysis
• Then, select Histogram. A new dialogue box will pop up.

• In the box, select cells C5 through C20 as the Input Range.

• Then choose cells F5 to F9 as the Bin Range.
• Next, select Output Range to show Frequency in a specific cell and click
OK.

• Consequently, you will get the Frequency for the Bin Intervals.
STEP 4. Plot a Graph of Skewness and Kurtosis. Finally, it’s time to plot the
graph of skewness and kurtosis. We will use the Charts tool for this purpose.
• Firstly, select the data of Bin Intervals and Frequency.

• Next, go to Insert Scatter and then select Scatter with Smooth Lines.

• Finally, you will have your graph of Skewness and Kurtosis.

VII. SUMMARY

The paper titled "Exploring Measures of Shapes and its Cross-Disciplinary

Applications" explores the concepts of skewness and kurtosis and their
applications across various disciplines. It is a collaborative effort submitted by a
group of graduate students from Sorsogon State University, School of Graduate
Studies. The document discusses the objectives, key concepts, challenges, and
practical applications of skewness and kurtosis in fields such as education, public
administration, and school administration and supervision.

The paper begins by introducing the concept of measures of shape, which describe
the distribution of data within a dataset. It differentiates between symmetrical
distributions, exemplified by the normal distribution, and asymmetrical
distributions, which can be positively or negatively skewed. Key features and uses
of these distributions, including the relationships between mean, median, and
mode, are discussed.

The concept of kurtosis is also explored, with an explanation of how it describes

the "tailedness" of a distribution. The three types of kurtoses - mesokurtic,
leptokurtic, and platykurtic - are defined and related to real-world scenarios. The
importance of kurtosis in assessing risk, particularly in finance and investing, is
emphasized.

The paper delves into the application of measures of shape in different fields,
illustrating how skewness and kurtosis can provide insights into data distributions.
In education, these measures are applied to analyze test scores, evaluate
curriculum effectiveness, and aid research in educational psychology. In public
administration, skewness and kurtosis can help assess income distributions and
associated risks in policy analysis. In school administration and supervision, these
measures can be used to analyze budget allocations and teachers' workload.

The challenges of applying skewness and kurtosis across different disciplines are
discussed, including issues related to data gathering, interpretation, reliability, and
the misuse of statistics. The paper highlights the need for a deep understanding of
statistical concepts, data quality, and effective communication of findings to
stakeholders.

Finally, the paper provides a step-by-step guide to graphing skewness and kurtosis
in Excel, demonstrating how technology can aid in visualizing data distributions.

In summary, this paper offers a comprehensive exploration of skewness and

kurtosis, their relevance in various fields, and the challenges associated with their
application. It provides valuable insights into how these statistical measures can
be used to better understand data distributions and make informed decisions
across different disciplines.

VIII. ASSESSMENT
Instructions: Answer the following questions briefly and concisely.

1. Write a brief definition of skewness and kurtosis in your own words.

2. Provide an example of a scenario in education where skewness might be

relevant. Explain why skewness would be important in that context.

3. Provide an example of a scenario in education where kurtosis might be

relevant. Explain why kurtosis would be important in that context.

4. Discuss how understanding skewness and kurtosis could inform decision-

making or interventions in an educational setting.

5. Based on your understanding of the challenges discussed in the paper,

identify potential challenges or limitations in applying skewness and kurtosis
in educational research or administration.

6. Suggest strategies or solutions to overcome these challenges or limitations.

Rubric for grading the answers to the questions:

Criteria: Excellent (5) Good (4) Satisfactory (3) Needs Improvement (2)
Inadequate (1)

1. Definition of skewness and kurtosis:

-Accurate and concise definitions provided in own words.

2. Example of skewness in education:

-Relevant scenario provided with a clear explanation of why skewness is
important.

3. Example of kurtosis in education:

-Relevant scenario provided with a clear explanation of why kurtosis is
important.

4. Discussion of the impact on decision-making:

-Comprehensive discussion of how understanding skewness and kurtosis
can inform decisions or interventions in education.

5. Identification of challenges or limitations:

-Clear identification of potential challenges or limitations in applying
skewness and kurtosis in educational research or administration.

6. Suggestions to overcome challenges:

-Thoughtful and practical strategies or solutions provided to address the
challenges or limitations.

IX. REFERENCES
• https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/understanding-statistics/statistical-terms-
and-concepts/measures-shape
• https://www.investopedia.com/terms/k/kurtosis.asp
• https://www.statisticshowto.com/pearson-mode-skewness/
• Skewness and Kurtosis: Quick Guide (Updated 2023)
(analyticsvidhya.com)
https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2021/05/shape-of-data-skewness-
and-kurtosis/
• How to Create Graph of Skewness and Kurtosis in Excel
(exceldemy.com)
https://www.exceldemy.com./how-to-graph-skewness-and-kurtosis-in-
excel/#:~:text=4%20Easy%20Steps%20to%20Create%20Graph%20of%2
0Skewness,Plot%20a%20Graph%20of%20Skewness%20and%20Kurtosi
s%20
• https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/blog/2022/09/importance-of-skewness-
kurtosis-co-efficient-of-variation/