Research Methodology

JAMOVI: Descriptive Statistics

A researcher is interested in how attached students feel toward the college campus. To provide descriptive statistics the JAMOVI
tools were used.

PART A (JAMOVI data entry and preparation)

The scale consists of five statements that can be answered on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree (score = 1) to
strongly agree (score = 4). Total scores range from 8 to 19 with higher scores indicating a higher attachment to the campus. To
reduce questionnaire and respondent bias, the statements are phrased both positively and negatively. Therefore, when calculating
the overall score for each participant, scores for negative statements are reversed.

Table 1. Measurement Items

1. I feel like the campus is a part of me.
2. I do not feel very connected to campus.
3. I would prefer to take classes that did not require me to come to campus.
4. When I come to campus, it feels like I’m coming home.
5. I enjoy spending my free time on campus.

PART B (Data Analyses)

1. Calculate the frequency of males and females using JAMOVI.
To convert all variables to numeric in JAMOVI, the gender variable was transformed such that Males were assigned a value of 1,
while Females were assigned a value of 0.
Table 2. Frequency of Males and Females
Gender N % of Total Cumulative %

Female 5 50.0 % 50.0 %

Male 5 50.0 % 100.0 %

Figure 1. Bar Plot for Gender

2. Using the Frequency command, calculate the mean, median, min, max, SD, and skewness for age. Request a histogram
(including the normal distribution) to represent the distribution.
Table 3. Descriptive Statistics and Histogram of Age Distribution
 Std.error
Variable N Mean Median SD Min Max Skewness
skewness
Age 10 24.8 22 9.44 18 50 2.51 0.69

Figure 2. Plots for Age

3. Using the Frequency command, calculate the mean, median, min, max, SD, and skewness for the total attachment score
you computed. Do NOT request a histogram.
Table 4. Descriptive Statistics Total Attachment Score
Std.error
Variable N Mean Median SD Min Max Skewness
skewness
Total attachment
10 14.5 16 4.35 8 19 -0.45 0.69
score

4. Using the Descriptives command, calculate the mean, min, max, SD, and skewness of the total attachment score for
males versus females (use the “split” command).
Table 5. Descriptive Statistics of Total Attachment Score by Gender Split
Std.error
Gender N Mean Median SD Min Max Skewness
skewness
Male 5 14.6 15 4.16 9 19 -0.40 0.91
Female 5 14.4 17 5.03 8 19 -0.61 0.91

5. Using the Descriptives command, calculate the mean, min, max, SD, and skewness of total attachment for all
participants in the sample who are under 25 (use the “filters” command and DO NOT split by gender).
Table 6. Descriptive Statistics of Total Attachment Score for Participants Under 25
Filter Std.error
N Mean Median SD Min Max Skewness
condition skewness
Age <25 7 14.7 17 4.23 9 19 -0.46 0.79

After applying the data filter, the age of the participants ranged from 18 to 24 years old.

PART C (Results and Interpretation)

6. Does the histogram of age suggest a normal distribution? What does the skewness statistic tell you about the
distribution of age in the sample?

The histogram of age indicates that the distribution is not symmetrical and is heavily skewed to the right, rather than
having a bell-shaped curve that would indicate normality.
 The skewness statistic is a measure of the degree of asymmetry of the distribution. A positive skewness value indicates
that the distribution is skewed to the right, while a negative skewness value indicates that the distribution is skewed to
the left. In this case, the skewness statistic of 2.51 indicates that the distribution of age in the sample is skewed to the
right.

The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess normality and it showed that the p-value < .001, which indicates strong
evidence against the null hypothesis of normality. Additionally, a Q-Q plot was also used to assess the normality of the
data, and it was found that the plotted points did not fall along a straight line, which suggests that the data is not
normally distributed.

It is important to note that the sample size is relatively small (N=10), which may limit the statistical power of the tests
and make it more difficult to detect normality. However, based on the analysis conducted, it is reasonable to conclude
that the distribution of age is not normal.

7. What does the skewness statistic tell you about the total attachment score?

The attachment score distribution has a slight left skew (skewness = -0.445), but it's only a small deviation from
normal. The Shapiro-Wilk test was performed and showed that there is no significant difference from normality (W =
0.863, p = .086). Therefore, it's reasonable to assume that the attachment score is approximately normally distributed.

8. What is the best measure of central tendency for each of the following variables? Explain each answer by
describing what scale of measurement is represented, and, for interval or ratio variables, if the distribution is or
is not within acceptable limits for the normal curve.

When analyzing categorical variables such as gender, the mode is the best measure of central tendency as it represents
the most commonly occurring value. As gender is a nominal variable without numerical values and cannot be ordered,
the mode is the appropriate measure of central tendency.

For skewed distributions, the median is a better measure of central tendency than the mean as it is not influenced by
extreme values. In the case of age, which is an interval variable with a heavily skewed distribution to the right
(skewness value of 2.51), the median would be the best measure of central tendency as it represents the middle value in
the dataset.

The mean is the most used measure of central tendency as it considers all values in the dataset. For the total attachment
score, which is a ratio variable and has an approximately normal distribution, the mean is the best measure of central
tendency. In such cases, the mean provides an accurate representation of the average value of the dataset.

9. Write a few sentences describing the sample as you would in the Participants section. Make sure you use the
appropriate statistics, and they must match your JAMOVI output.

The sample for the current study consists of 10 people. The gender distribution is equal, half of the sample were women
and half men. The age of participants ranged from 18 to 50 years. The mean age is 24.8 (SD=9.44) with the most
common age being 19 (20% of the sample). The age distribution was heavily skewed to the right (skewness = 2.51),
indicating that the median age (22) is a better measure of central tendency than the mean age.

10. Write a paragraph appropriately describing the Results, including (a) total attachment score for the entire
sample; (b) for men and women separately; and (c) for those under 25. Make sure you report the appropriate
statistics in the Results, and the results you report must match your JAMOVI output.
Results showed that the total attachment score for the entire sample (N=10) was M=14.5, SD=4.35, with a median of
16. The distribution was slightly negatively skewed (skewness=-0.445). Splitting by gender revealed that male students
(M=14.6, SD=4.16) had slightly higher attachment scores than female students (M=14.4, SD=5.03). However, an
independent samples t-test revealed no statistically significant difference between genders (t(8)=-0.0685, p=0.947). The
effect size was small (Cohen's d=-0.0433). For participants under 25 years of age (N=7), the mean attachment score
was M=14.7, SD=4.23, with a median of 17. The distribution was slightly negatively skewed (skewness=-0.461).
Overall, the total attachment score was consistent with a slightly negative skew, indicating that most participants scored
above the median score. The findings suggest no significant differences in attachment scores between genders and for
participants under 25 years of age, the mean score was similar to the overall sample.