CHAPTER 5

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

PROCESSING AND ANALYZING DATA

Chapter Objectives:
1. The students must be able to understand the editing of data.
2. The students must be able to convert raw data into useful information.
3. The students must be able to prepare tables and graphs using raw data.

Introduction

The data collected from the survey tool, observation, and interview is raw and is of no value unless and
until it is presented in usable manner. The data collected from the samples is arranged in meaningful way
by editing, coding, and presented in tabular form for drawing useful inferences. In this unit we will be
learning the various ways by which raw data is converted into important information.

Processing and analyzing data involve several closely related operations which are performed with the
purpose of summarizing the collected data and organizing these in a manner that they answer the research
questions (objectives).

EDITING

It is a process of examining the collected raw data to detect errors and omissions and to correct these when
possible. It is also defined as the process relating to the review and adjustment of collected survey data with
an aim to control the quality of the collected data. Data editing can be performed manually, with the
assistance of a computer or using a combination of both the methods. Data editing is crucial as it helps in
take full advantage of the available data to be converted into useful data, ensuring that the errors arising
during collection, entry, assimilation are omitted or minimized. It also assures that the consistency is
coherent and consistent since such characteristics have a constructive impact on the final analysis and
outcomes.

CODING

The purpose of data coding is to bring out the essence and meaning of the data that has been collected from
the respondents. In order to make sense of the data, it must be analyzed. Analysis begins with the labeling
of data as to its source, how it was collected, the information it contains, etc. When we have received
hundreds of questionnaires, forma and formats containing the data it seems impossible to figure out any
outcomes just by looking at the quantum. E.g. if the Hotel guest ‘s feedback is received in letter forms with
no specific format it would be nearly impossible to assess the satisfaction levels, major complaint areas or
just finding out who has been recommended by most of the guests as the best employee at the hotel.

Coding facilitates the researcher to reduce the bulk od information and data to a form that is easily
understandable and can be interpreted soon either manually or through software programming. For
example, the injury rate at different levels of intensive physical labor demanding operations in various
hotels in the city may not be sorted under name but each of the hotels can be assigned a numeric or
alphabetical code. The content analysis computer programs help researchers to code textual data for
qualitative or quantitative analysis.

CLASSIFICATION AND TABULATION

TABULATION
PRESENTATION OF DATA
METHODS OF DATA PRESENTATION
DATA ANALYSIS METHODS

Data analysis methods are as under:

• Qualitative Data Analysis
• Quantitative Data Analysis
• Manual Data Analysis
• Computerized Data Analysis

QUALITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS

Qualitative Data Analysis can be defined as researcher‘s movement from quantitative data to qualitative
i.e. when an interpretation, explanation or understanding is generated based on the quantitative data. This
gives meaning and better elucidation of facts and figures presented in form of charts or graphs. In general
the following terms are indicative of qualitative data analysis:
QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS

This is another systematic approach where the researcher converts or transforms the observations and
collected information into numerical data. It is suited to surveys that are performed on a larger scale, are
well administered and use carefully constructed questionnaire.