CHAPTER III

Methodology reflects the complete structure of the research as a whole. The researcher

includes different steps in a research plan to find some logical answer to the research

problem. While designing the proper methodology care should be taken about the

objectives, needs, and significance of the study. That is why it is considered as the most

important phase in any research process. In the present chapter, we shall gather a

detailed knowledge about each section of the research methodology selected for the

present study such as methods, population, sample and sampling techniques, variables,

tools for data collection, the procedure of data collection, analysis and interpretation etc.

3.0 RESEARCH DESIGN

In order to conduct any Social Science research, it is very important to obtain sufficient

and significant information relevant to the research area; specification of the evidence

needed for the study to test the hypotheses and make an accurate assessment of the

observable phenomena. For such purposes, it is very important to frame a proper

research design to run the entire task smoothly. A systematic design helps to attain the

selected objectives of the study and to test the hypotheses accordingly.

Research Design is the conceived plan, structure and strategy to obtain answers to the

research questions and also to control the variances of the investigation; it is the overall

scheme or program of the research which includes an outline regarding the activities of

the investigator from writing the hypotheses to their operational implications to the final

analysis of the data (Kerlinger and Pedazur, 1973). In simple words, a research design

67
can be understood as the framework or the general plan which intends to find answers to

the research questions.

The research design simply yields the careful selection, organization, and presentation

of various sections like defining the population, sample and variables of the study,

selection of methods and tools of data collection, selection of the various statistical

techniques of data analysis, formulating the framework for analyzing the findings etc. In

the field of Social Science, there is no specific design to conduct any research. The

design is completely based on the need and significance of the study and

appropriateness for testing the hypotheses to get desirable answers to the research

questions.

To serve the purpose of the present study, the investigator adopted the Descriptive

Survey Method as the focus of the design is to study the different dependent (TA) and

independent (EM and LOC) variables and their existing relationship. To achieve the

research objectives, this quantitative research study found the ‘survey’ design most

appropriate. Various standardized tools were also used to collect data from the selected

sample. For analyzing and interpreting the data various statistical techniques were also

applied. The entire design of the research study is elaborately discussed in different

sections of this chapter. It is also shown with the help of Fig. No. 3.1 (page no. 69).

68
 Fig. No. 3.1: Research Design

Dependent Variable Independent Variables Moderating Variables

1. Gender
1. Test Anxiety 1. Emotional Maturity 2. Locality
2. Locus of Control 3. Type of
Management of the
institution
4. ESP

69
 3.1 AREA OF THE STUDY

Kokrajhar district is the administrative district of Bodoland Territorial Area Districts

(BTAD) in Assam. BTAD came into existence under the BTC Accord on 10th February,

2003. Earlier the district was a part of undivided Goalpara district. In 1957, Kokrajhar

sub-division was created. The Kokrajhar sub-division was upgraded into Kokrajhar

District on 1st July, 1983. The headquarters of the district is located at Kokrajhar Town.

It occupies an area of 3,169.22 km2. The district is predominantly inhabited by the Bodo

tribe.

3.2 METHOD USED IN THE PRESENT STUDY

Selecting the appropriate method is the most important decision in any research. It may

be understood as the style or technique which is used to conduct a study or research.

Methods are used to perform various research operations. The term ‘method' covers

both the strategy and tactics of the research application. The present study falls under

the category of Descriptive Research and involves Survey Method.

Descriptive research studies are basically designed to obtain information about the

present status of any event or phenomenon. Here, the researcher can investigate the event

in its original form. It always deals with the present. Descriptive research studies those

phenomena which have already occurred and related to the current condition or situation.

Descriptive researches obtain pertinent and precise information regarding the current

status of any event or phenomenon and involve measurement, classification, analysis,

comparison, and interpretation of the collected data. These studies are very helpful in

providing solutions to local problems as they are conducted in their local setting.

Descriptive research is very helpful in the field of Education as it helps to explain the
70
educational phenomena in terms of their existing relationships and opinions of concerned

authorities.

Again, the survey method is the most common and widely used method in social science

research. It helps to collect the desired data from a representative sample. It helps in

collecting data from each unit of a population or sample. Survey attempts to describe and

interpret any phenomenon in its existing situation in the form of the condition, process,

trends, effects etc. This is a systematic way to analyze, interpret and report the existing

condition of a social institution, group or area. The survey is concerned with the

generalized statistics of the population or a representative sample. It basically deals with

the clearly defined problems by setting some definite objectives. Descriptive Survey

Method always demands an imaginative planning, careful analysis and interpretation of

the collected information, and a skillful and logical reporting of the facts discovered.

Survey research deals with the incidence, distribution, and interrelation of sociological

and psychological variables (Kerlinger, 1964). Descriptive Survey Methods are often

used as a preliminary step to be followed by the researcher employing more vigorous

control and objective methods. Survey Method is basically a cross-sectional approach

which helps to gather data from a relatively large number of cases at a particular time

(Sharma, 2013).

To conduct the present study this Descriptive Survey Method was selected as the

complete data collection procedure is conducted under its natural setting. Here, the

investigator visited every selected institution personally and gathered the information

with the help of different tools. Data were collected from different sections of sample on

the basis of gender, locality, type of management of the institution and educational status
71
of parents. The survey was carefully planned and executed by the investigator.

3.3 POPULATION OF THE STUDY

Population means the totality of human beings or non-human entities regarding which

the investigator attempts to make inferences in a research. It is nothing but a group in

which the members share some common characteristics that are of interest of the

researcher. It is also known as universe. The population is composed of two groups

Target Population and Accessible Population (Asiamah, Mensah and Oteng-Abayie

2017; Yount, 2006; Banerjee and Chaudhury, 2010). Population of the present study can

be broadly discussed under the following headings-

 Target population: The entire group of people or objects to which the

researcher wishes to generalize the study findings and which meet set of criteria

of interest is the target population of a study. It is also known as theoretical

population and serves for the researcher’s hypothesis in a general term. After

identifying the unit of analysis, the researcher must identify the target

population, the group of people that the researcher wants to draw a conclusion

when the research study is finished. In the present study, the target population

was all the Higher Secondary students.

Accessible population: Accessible Population or Study Population is the

portion of the population to which the researcher has reasonable access. It is a

subset of the target population. It is the population to which the researcher can

apply their findings or conclusions. By applying certain geographical and

temporal characteristics over the target population, the researcher derives the
72
 accessible population of any study. After identifying the accessible population,

the sample is selected for the study. From geographical consideration, the

accessible population of the present study is restricted to the Higher Secondary

students of Kokrajhar District. The temporal criterion of the accessible

population is the total number of students appeared in the H.S. examination

during the academic sessions 2014-2015, 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 in

Kokrajhar District. Thus, the accessible population of the present study is the

total students of all Higher Secondary institutions of Kokrajhar District who

appeared in the H.S. examination during the academic session 2014-2015, 2015-

2016 and 2016-2017 and it is shown below-

Table No. 3.1: Population of the Study

Academic Streams of study Total

Session
Science Arts Commerce

2014-2015 618 7961 224 8803

2015-2016 654 6845 225 7724

2016-2017 775 6883 195 7853

Total 2047 21689 644 24380

73
The population characteristics of the present study are presented with the help of Fig. No.

3.2 below-

Fig. No. 3.2: Selection of Population and Sample

Educational Geographical:

Higher Secondary Higher Secondary Students

Students (2nd year) of Kokrajhar
District

Target Population: Accessible

Population: Subset Study
All HS students HS students of Sample
Kokrajhar

Demographic: Temporal:

Male and female students The year 2014 to 2017

Thus, the population of the present study covers all the higher secondary students of

Kokrajhar District, Assam. Another two criteria related to the population of the present

study are the Higher Secondary Final Year student and student studying in the

institutions approved by the Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC).

There are 34 institutions approved by AHSEC which provide higher secondary

education in the district.

74
 The institutions are categorized as:

a. Higher Secondary School (Government and Private)

b. Junior Colleges (Government and Private), and

c. +2 level attached to the undergraduate college (Government and Private)

A table showing the total number of schools based on locality (urban and rural) and the

type of management (private and government) is given below-

Table 3.2: Categories of Higher Secondary Institutions in Kokrajhar District

Category of the institution Private Government Urban Rural

Higher Secondary School - 15 3 12

Junior College 8 2 4 6

+2 level attached to the undergraduate college 2 7 6 3

Total 10 24 13 21

Source: AHSEC Result Book and IS Office, Kokrajhar (Year 2014)

3.4 SAMPLE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

While conducting research, in most of the cases it is just impossible and impractical to

survey every event or member of a particular population because of its large number.

So, to make inferences about the characteristics of a population, researchers often use

sample which is a subset of the population and again, which represents the entire group.

Sample and sampling technique used in the present study are discussed below:

75
3.4.1 SAMPLE SIZE

Before selecting the sample units for the study, the researcher determined the required

size of the sample for the study. Here, 10 institutions were selected out of 34 institutions

to conduct the study. The total number of students studying in the 10 selected sample

schools was 6161. It includes the following eight sub-groups:

1. Rural Private Female (581)

2. Rural Private Male (1259)

3. Rural Government Female (894)

4. Rural Government Male (1389)

5. Urban Private Female (417)

6. Urban Private Male (499)

7. Urban Government Female (446), and

8. Urban Government Male (676).

It is categorized on the basis of gender, locality, and type of management of the

institution and shown in the following table-

Table No. 3.3: Different Categories of Higher Secondary Students

Total No. of Students

Gender Locality Type of Management of

the Institution

Male Female Urban Rural Private Government

3823 2338 2038 4123 2756 3405

76
To reach the required sample size, 4123 rural and 2038 urban students, they were

divided into four sub-groups such as, Rural Female (1475), Rural Male (2648), Urban

Female (863) and Urban Male (1175).

For determining minimum sample size in relation to the population of these four

subgroups S l ovi n’s Formula was used i.e. n = N/(1+Ne2). Here, ‘n’ indicates

‘S am pl e Size’, ‘N’ indicates ‘Known Population Size’ and ‘e’ indicates ‘Margin of

error’. In Social Science, the confidence levels may vary from 90% to 99%. Here, in case

of rural population groups, it was found out at 0.05 level and in case of its urban

counterpart it was at 0.06 level as the size of the urban population is almost half of the

rural group. Thus, minimum sizes of required samples for each sub-group were

computed. The minimum required sample size was found 315 for Rural Female, 348 for

Rural Male, 210 for Urban Female and 225 for Urban Male. Adding these values the

total minimum required size of the sample was found out i.e. 1098. For meeting the risk

of non- response the size of the total sample was determined as 1500 (25%) of the total

population. This can be shown below-

Fig No. 3.3: The Sample Size (Decided)

But 1225 students participated as respondents. Thus, the total sample size of the study

was taken as 1225.

77
3.4.2 SAMPLING TECHNIQUE

In the present study Stratified Random Sampling Technique was used. The samples

were selected in two different stages. At first, sample institutions were selected and then

the sample units (students) were selected from those institutions. Total 34 institutions in

the district provide higher secondary education. These institutions were stratified as

Rural and Urban. After that, each Urban and Rural group was again categorized on the

basis of the type of management of the institution i.e. Private and Government.

After categorizing the schools, the students (sample units) were stratified on the basis of

gender as Male and Female. After categorizing 34 institutions on the basis of locality

and type of management of the institution, 10 schools (30% institutions) were selected

for data collection. The source of the sample, sampling techniques and number of

institutions selected for the study is shown in Table No. 3.4 below-

Table 3.4: Source of Sample and Sampling Technique

Sl. No. Source of Sample Total Sampling Technique

1 Higher Secondary institutions Urban= 4 Stratified Random

on the basis of locality Rural= 6 Sampling
Total= 10
2 Higher Secondary institutions Private= 4 Stratified Random
on the basis of the type of Government= 6 Sampling
management of the institution Total= 10

3 Higher Secondary Students as Male = 684 Stratified Random

sample units Female = 541 Sampling
Total =1225

78
The selection of 10 sample schools on the basis of locality and type of management of

the institution is clearly shown with the help of the Fig. No. 3.4 below -

Fig. No. 3.4: Selection of Schools

Total Rural Total Urban

Institutions= 6 Institutions= 4

Total number of
institutions= 10

79
After selecting the sample schools, the investigator selected the sample units i.e. the

Higher Secondary Final Year students. The actual sample size of the present study is

already determined which includes 1225 students and the distribution of the students

are shown in the Fig. No. 3.5 below –

Fig. No. 3.5: The Sample Size (Participants)

3.5 VARIABLES

Generally, a variable means any perception or concept that is capable of measurement.

Variables are the conditions or characteristics which are manipulated and controlled by

the experimenter or researcher in order to conduct the experiment/research and observe

the changes in them. Any change made in the variable affects the complete research

work directly or indirectly. It can be expressed with the help of both qualitative and

quantitative value.

80
After reviewing different literature the investigator feels it is necessary to explore more

about “Test Anxiety of Higher Secondary students in relation to their Emotional

Maturity and Locus of Control” and accordingly following variables were taken into

consideration by the investigator:

 Dependent Variable:

A dependent variable is one that is measured by the researcher in the experiment and

again, which is affected during that experiment due to the manipulation of independent

variables or some related factors of the study. In the present study, the dependent

variable is-

i. Test anxiety

 Independent Variables:

Independent variables are those which remain stable during the experiment and not

affected by the manipulation of any other variable by the experimenter. It affects the

dependent variable. Generally, the researcher manipulates it to see if it brings any

change in the dependent variable. In the present study, the independent variables are-

i. Emotional Maturity

ii. Locus of control

81
  Moderating Variables:

A moderating or moderator variable is generally defined as the third variable which

affects the strength or direction of the relationship between the dependent and

independent variables. It is denoted by M. These variables can be both qualitative (such

as gender, locality etc.) and quantitative (such as weight, age etc.). In the present study,

the moderating variables are-

i. Gender

ii. Locality

iii. Type of management of the institution

iv. Educational status of parents

The different variables of the present study are shown below-

Fig. No. 3.6: Variables of the Study

82
3.6 TOOLS USED FOR DATA COLLECTION

Tools are the instruments which are generally used by the researcher to collect data

from the selected sample. The tools may be pre-coded or self-designed according to the

need of the study. In the present study, the researcher used different standardized tools

to collect reliable data. Test Anxiety Scale, by V. P. Sharma, Emotional Maturity Scale

by Dr. Yashvir Sing and Dr. Mahesh Bharagava and, Levenson's Locus of Control

Scale, prepared by Sanjay Vohra were used for data collection in the present study.

Besides these, Profile of the Student and Interview Schedule were also used to collect

some relevant and necessary data. The scales were purely concerned with the general

psychological constructs such as test anxiety, emotional maturity, and locus of control.

They can be elaborately discussed below-

3.6.1 PROFILE OF THE STUDENT

To collect data about the subject Profile of the Student was constructed. This profile

was basically designed to collect data regarding the personal details of the students. It

was designed to gather information such as name, gender, age, name and address of the

institution, socio-economic status of the family, educational status of the parents,

academic achievement in HSLC, present medium of instruction along with the medium

of instruction during HSLC of the student. It mainly aimed to have detailed information

about the subject and to know him/her in a better way.

83
3.6.2 TEST ANXIETY SCALE, BY V. P. SHARMA (1978 and 2000)

The Test Anxiety Scale was developed and standardized by Dr. V. P. Sharma. This five-

point scale consisted of 25 items, each item having 5 responses ranging from minimum

to maximum levels of Test Anxiety. It was a self-administering inventory and designed

to administer individually as well as in a group. Instructions were clearly written on the

test form for the test administrator and testee. There was no right or wrong response to

the situations. Time was limited to 30 minutes to conduct this self-administered test.

SCORING PROCEDURE:

The scale was designed in such a way that could be scored accurately by hand. There

was no scoring key or stencil used for giving scores. The testees were asked to provide a

tick mark on the most appropriate answer according to them. After summing up all the

scores the levels were determined on the basis of the norms provided by the test

developer. The weights of five alternative answers for each item are shown in the table

below-

Table No. 3.5: Alternative Answers with Scores

Alternative No. Weights Assigned

First Alternative 1

Second Alternative 2

Third Alternative 3

Fourth Alternative 4

Fifth Alternative 5

84
Scores showing 75th percentile and above that indicated the level of High Test Anxiety,

whereas, scores showing 25th percentile and below that indicated Low Test Anxiety.

Again, scores above 25th and below 75th percentile indicated the level of Normal Test

Anxiety.

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY:

The reliability of the scale was tested by the scale developer by using the test-retest

method. The retest was conducted after 10 days and the result was found as rtt= 0.927.

The same was also tested by applying the split-half method and odd-even method and

by using Spearman-Brown formula the result was found as rtt= 0.876.

The test-developer also determined predictive validity by using:

(a) Teachers’ Rating r = 0.768

(b) Internal Marks r = 0.743

3.6.3 EMOTIONAL MATURITY SCALE BY DR. YASHVIR SINGH AND DR.

MAHESH BHARAGAVA (2012)

The developers of the Emotional Maturity Scale (EMS), Dr. Yashvir Singh and Dr.

Mahesh Bharagava considered five different factors such as Emotional Stability,

Emotional Progression, Social Adjustment, Personality Integration, and Independence

while preparing and standardizing it. Emotional Maturity Scale contained a total number

of 48 items and these items were distributed among all the factors as shown in the Table

No. 3.6 (page no. 86).

85
 Table No. 3.6: List of Factors and Items

Sr. No. Areas/Factors Total no. of items

1 Emotional Stability 10

2 Emotional Progression 10

3 Social Adjustment 10

4 Personality Integration 10

5 Independence 08

Total 48

Questionnaires were provided to each sample individually and instructions were also

given to provide tick mark (√) on the most appropriate answer according to them. There

was no time limit to conduct the test.

SCORING PROCEDURE:

EMS was a self-reporting five-point scale. Each item of the scale included five options

and the score for each option was pre-determined by the test developers. The options

and their related scores are shown in Table No. 3.7 (page no. 87).

86
 Table No. 3.7: Alternative Options with Scores

Sr. No. OPTIONS SCORES

1 Very Much 5

2 Much 4

3 Undecided 3

4 Probably 2

5 Never 1

After adding all the scores, the levels of Emotional Maturity were determined with the

help of an Interpretation Table which was provided with the scale by the test

developers. It is shown in Table No. 3.8 below:

Table No. 3.8: Interpretation Table of Emotional Maturity

Sl. No. SCORES LEVELS OF MATURITY

1 50-80 Extremely Emotionally Mature

2 81-88 Moderately Emotionally Mature

3 89-106 Emotionally Immature

4 107-240 Extremely Emotionally Immature

87
RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY:

The reliability of the scale was determined by the test-retest method. It was

administered upon a group of collegiate students (N= 150). The time interval between

the two tests was six months and the reliability coefficient was found to be 0.75. Again,

the internal consistency of the scale was also checked by calculating the coefficient of

correlations between total scores on each of the five factors of the scale. The values of

internal consistency are shown in the following table:

Table No. 3.9: Reliability and Validity

Sr. No. Factors/Areas Value of r

1 Emotional Stability 0.75

2 Emotional Progression 0.63

3 Social Adjustment 0.58

4 Personality Integration 0.86

5 Independence 0.42

The scale was also validated against some external criteria i.e. the ‘Gha’ area of the

adjustment inventory for college students by Sinha and Singh. The correlation obtained

between ‘Gha’ items and EMS was found to be 0.64 with N= 46.

88
3.6.4 LEVENSON‟S LOCUS OF CONTROL SCALE, PREPARED BY SANJAY

VOHRA (1992)

To collect reliable data about Locus of Control the researcher used a standardized scale

viz. Levenson's Locus of Control Scale, prepared by Sanjay Vohra. It was a Likert Type

scale with five multiple choice responses. The scale was basically designed to find out

the levels of different dimensions of Locus of Control such as Powerful Others (P),

Chance Control (C) and Individual Control (I). It consisted of 24 statements and again

these were equally divided into three categories P, C and I, which means 8 statements in

each category. The statements of each category were developed and finalized by the test

developer.

SCORING PROCEDURE:

This tool was a Likert Type five-point scale. A stencil scoring key was provided by the

test developer to give the hand scores. The scores were separately given for all three

factors such as P, C, and I. The highest score given for each factor or category was 40

and the minimum score was 8. Each response carried a definite score which is shown in

Table No. 3.10 (page no. 90).

89
 Table No. 3.10: Responses with Scores

RESPONSES SCORES

Strongly Agree 5

Agree 4

Undecided 3

Disagree 2

Strongly Disagree 1

For the purpose of grouping, the respondents having High, Low and Moderate Locus of

control 25th and 75th percentiles of the collected scores were calculated. After adding

scores for each category different levels were determined such as High, Low and

Moderate on the basis of 25th and 75th percentile. Scores below the 25th percentile

were categorized as Low level, whereas scores above the 75th percentile were

categorized as High and between 25th and 75th percentile were categorized as Moderate

level.

RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY:

To test the reliability of the present scale, the test developer applied different methods.

At first, the split-half method was employed. The scale was divided into two parts of 12

statements in each section. Each part contained four statements for each factor such as

P, C and I. Here, N was 380 and the reliability was found to be 0.72 for P, 0.79 for C

and 0.65 for I, by using Spearman-Brown. Again, with the odd-even method, reliability

coefficient was found to be 0.69 for P, 0.72 for C and 0.66 for I. Further, the test-retest

90
 method of reliability was also used with N=200. It was retested after one week gap and

the reliability coefficient was found to be 0.76.

One of the most essential qualities of a valid test is that it should be highly reliable and

the scale showed a fairly high-reliability coefficient. It had also shown predictive

validity. Apart from these, the scale was also validated against the Rotter's Locus of

Control Scale, and in this way, concurrent validity was also established.

3.6.5 INTERVIEW SCHEDULE

To collect information about the opinions of respondents regarding test anxiety,

emotional maturity, and locus of control, an informal interview schedule was also used.

This tool was not used to collect data for the present study. It was used only to cross-

validate the data collected with the help of selected standardized tools. Different

questions were asked verbally and their responses were also recorded immediately. 30%

of the total sample i.e. 368 higher secondary students were interviewed on the basis of

the gender, locality, and the type of management of the institution. The collected data

helped to get ideas regarding these three psychological constructs i.e. TA, EM, and

LOC.

3.7 DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURE

Collection of authentic data is the most important condition for any successful research.

Generally the sources of data are of two types i.e., primary and secondary. Primary data

includes the information which is collected by the researcher personally. Again, when

the information is collected from some other sources, such as library, journals, office

91
records etc. it is known as secondary data. For the present study, the investigator

collected both primary and secondary data to form a rich base of the study. The data

collection procedure is elaborately discussed below:

3.7.1 COLLECTION OF PRIMARY DATA

After completing the selection process of sample of Higher Secondary students the

investigator visited all the selected number of sample institutions providing higher

secondary education in Kokrajhar district personally so that she could establish a good

rapport with the students before collecting data. Primary data were collected from the

field and from the selected sample of students by the investigator. In the beginning some

of the students were found to be nervous and confused about the test. Some of them

hesitated to fill up the questionnaire. But, when the investigator gave instructions

properly, the students happily agreed to participate in the test. The sample students were

requested to provide free opinion and the investigator had also assured that it would be

kept confidential. Full freedom was given to the students to ask if they did not

understand anything like meaning of difficult words or sentences, procedure etc.

Sufficient time was also allowed for the respondents to fill the scales. Finally, the

investigator collected the filled scales from the students for further analysis.

3.7.2 COLLECTION OF SECONDARY DATA

The investigator reviewed different secondary data for collecting necessary information

for the study. Data were collected from different secondary sources such as libraries,

journals, books, periodicals, theses, dissertations etc. For reviewing the related literature

the investigator visited different libraries personally, such as:

92
 1. National Library, Kolkata

2. Central Library, Visva-Bharati, Santiniketan, West Bengal

3. Library of Vinaya Bhavana, Department of Education, Visva-Bharati University,

West Bengal

4. Library of Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development,

Guwahati

5. K.K Handique Library, Gauhati University

6. NEHU Central Library, Shillong

7. Central Library of Bodoland University, Kokrajhar, Assam

The library works helped the investigator to conduct a systematic research. It helped in

developing the concept of systematic investigation, understanding the significance of

the study, framing the objectives and hypotheses, delimiting the area etc. It also helped

a lot to identify and use the related literature. Besides these, the investigator also

collected data from official sources of Assam Higher Secondary Education Council

(AHSEC), Directorate of Inspector of Schools, Kokrajhar District Circle, Kokrajhar and

different school records. Another important secondary source was the internet. A huge

amount of information was collected from this source.

3.8 STATISTICAL TECHNIQUES

After collecting all the data, the next step is to analyze and interpret it with some

suitable statistical techniques. In the present study, most of the data were analyzed

quantitatively with the help of computer using SPSS (Special Packages for Social

93
Science). The investigator used both Descriptive and Inferential statistical techniques

for analyzing the collected data.

3.8.1 DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

In a study, to describe the basic features of the data, Descriptive Statistics are used.

These statistics provide simple quantitative summaries about the sample and the various

measures. Different Descriptive Statistics used in the present study were mean, standard

deviation, simple percentage and graphical representation of data which are discussed

below-

1. Mean and Standard Deviation: The mean value was computed as a measure of

central tendency of the distribution of test anxiety, emotional maturity, and locus

of control scores obtained from the higher secondary students. Again, to study

the variations in these scores and to do some other advanced computations, the

value of standard deviation was also computed.

2. Simple Percentage: Percentage is computed to make the comparison easier

among different groups. In the present study, the distribution of the test anxiety,

emotional maturity, and locus of control scores showing their levels and types in

particular and in relation to some other variables such as gender, locality, type of

management of the institution and educational status of parents were compared

by computing their respective percentage.

3. Graphical Representation: Different statistical data are represented with the

help of graphs and diagrams to understand the facts easily and comprehensively.

94
 It gives a clear account and precise picture of the event. Here, different diagrams

and graphical representation were given along with the numerical data to

understand various facts related to test anxiety, emotional maturity and locus of

control more clearly.

3.8.2 NORMALITY OF THE TEST

In this study, for analyzing the data some parametric statistics like ‘t’-test, ANOVA etc.

were used. These tests are based on the assumption of ‘normality’. Therefore, before

conducting these tests in the present study, Test of Normality was applied with the help

of SPSS. This includes, ‘Kolmogorov-Smirnov’ and ‘Shapiro-Wilk’ tests and also the

test of ‘skewness’ and ‘kurtosis’ in case of Test Anxiety, Emotional Maturity and Locus of

Control with reference to different independent variables. The result of these tests shows

that distributions of these scores are approx. normally distributed. To analyze the

collected data different inferential statistics were also used in the present study.

3.8.3 INFERENTIAL STATISTICS

Inferential Statistics are used to make inferences about the population by drawing data

from a representative sample of that population. Parametric Inferential Statistics are

carried out on the collected data when it follows certain parameters such as, the data is

normally distributed, large sample size, variances are equal between the groups,

numbers can be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided etc. Different Parametric

Inferential Statistics used in the present study such as ‘t'-test, ANOVA, correlation,

regression analysis, and multinomial logistic regression analysis are discussed below-

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 1. „t‟-test: To test the significance of differences between mean scores ‘t’-tests

are applied. In the present study, ‘t’-test was used to find out the significance

of the mean difference of the test anxiety, emotional maturity, and locus of

control scores of higher secondary students in relation to gender, locality and

the type of management of the institution.

2. ANOVA: In statistical analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) is used to

check if the means of different groups (more than two groups) are

significantly different from each other. ANOVA helps to treat the data

together in a multi-group design. In the present study, the significant

differences among the mean scores of the test anxiety and emotional

maturity levels and locus of control types in relation to the educational status

of the parents were treated with the help of ANOVA.

3. Correlation: Person's coefficient of correlation values are computed to find

out the existing relationship between different variables. In the present study,

the values of coefficient of correlation were computed to study the

relationship of test anxiety with emotional maturity and locus of control.

4. Regression analysis: Regression analysis refers to a set of statistical

processes for estimating the existing relationship among the variables. Here,

the focus is given on the relationship between a dependent variable and a

group of independent variables. In this study, regression analysis was used to

study the combined contribution of emotional maturity and locus of control

scores on test anxiety scores.

Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis: Multinomial Logistic Regression

Analysis is a linear regression analysis which is used when the dependent variable is

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 nominal and with more than two levels. It is also used to describe the data and to

explain the relationship between one dependent nominal variable and one or more

continuous-level (interval or ratio scale) independent variables. This model is used

to predict the probabilities of the different possible outcomes of a categorically

distributed dependent variable, on a given set of independent variables. In the

present study, the Multinomial Logistic Regression Analysis was used to study the

combined contribution of emotional maturity and locus of control scores on test

anxiety scores in relation to gender, locality, type of management of the institution

and educational status of parents.

3.9 METHODOLOGICAL CHART:

Data were analyzed on the basis of the selected objectives and it is shown with a

methodological chart below-

Objectives Type of Source Tools of data Statistical

data of data collection techniques
used for
data
analysis
To find out the different Quantitative Primary Test Anxiety Scale, by Simple
levels of test anxiety of Data V. P. Sharma percentage
higher secondary students

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 Objectives Type of Source Tools of data Statistical
data of data collection techniques
used for
data
analysis
To study the levels of test Qualitative Primary 1. Test Anxiety Scale, 1. Simple
anxiety of the higher and Data by V. P. Sharma percentage
secondary students on the Quantitative
basis of- 2. Profile of the 2. ‘t’-test
a. Gender students
b. Locality 3. ANOVA
c. Type of management of 3. Interview Schedule
the institution
d. Educational status of
parents

To find out the levels of Quantitative Primary Emotional Maturity Simple

emotional maturity of the Data Scale by Dr. Yashvir percentage
higher secondary students Singh and Dr. Mahesh
Bharagava

To study the different levels Qualitative Primary 1. Emotional Maturity 1. Simple

of emotional maturity of the and Data Scale by Dr. Yashvir percentage
higher secondary students Quantitative Singh and Dr. Mahesh
on the basis of- Bharagava 2. ‘t’-test
a. Gender
b. Locality 2. Profile of the 3. ANOVA
c. Type of management of student
the institution
d. Educational status 3. Interview Schedule
of parents

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 Objectives Type of Source Tools of data Statistical
data of data collection techniques
used for
data
analysis
To find out the different Quantitative Primary Levenson’s Locus Simple
of
types of locus of control of Data Control Scale, percentage
the higher secondary prepared by Sanjay
students Vohra

To study the types of locus Qualitative Primary 1. Levenson’s 1. Simple

of control of the higher and Data Locus of Control percentage
secondary students on the Quantitative Scale, prepared
basis of- by Sanjay Vohra 2. ‘t’-test
a. Gender
b. Locality 2. Profile of 3.ANOVA
c.Type of management of the student
the institution
d.Educational status of 3. Interview
Schedule
parents.

7.To study the relationship Quantitative Primary 1. Test Anxiety Person's Co-
Scale, by V. P.
between test anxiety and- Data efficient of
Sharma.
a. Emotional maturity Correlation
2. Emotional
b. Locus of control.
Maturity Scale by
Dr. Yashvir Singh
and Dr. Mahesh
Bharagava.

3. Levenson’s
Locus of Control
Scale, prepared by
Sanjay Vohra

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To study the combined Quantitative Primary 1. Test Anxiety Regression
contribution of emotional Data Scale, by V. P. analysis
maturity and locus of Sharma
control on test anxiety
2. Emotional
Maturity Scale by
Dr. Yashvir Singh
and Dr. Mahesh
Bharagava

3. Levenson’s
Locus of Control
Scale, prepared by
Sanjay Vohra
To study the combined Quantitative Primary 1. Test Anxiety Multinomial
contribution of emotional Data Scale, by V. P. Logistic
maturity and locus of Sharma Regression
control on test anxiety of the Analysis
higher secondary students 2. Emotional
on the basis of- Maturity Scale by
a. Gender Dr. Yashvir Singh
b. Locality and Dr. Mahesh
c.Type of management of Bharagava
the institution
d.Educational status of 3. Levenson’s
parents. Locus of Control
Scale, prepared
by Sanjay Vohra.

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