Interpreting Data and Quantitative Fluency: Charts One and Two

Interpreting Data and Quantitative Fluency: Charts One and Two

THIS PAPER IS ONLY TO BE USED AS YOUR GUIDE BECAUSE THIS PAPER WAS JUST SUBMITTED BY THE SAME PROFESSOR IN MAY. SO, WE JUST WANT TO USE THIS FOR IDEAS TO BUILD OFF OF ONLY

Quantitative data is information about quantities of data that can be measured and recorded

numerically. Other components of quantitative data are, focuses on numbers, can be represented

using graphs, charts, tables, and maps, as well as data, can be displayed over time such as in a

line chart (Bachman & Schutt, 2019). It is important to arrange the information you have

gathered before conducting a proper analysis. It helps a researcher to better interpret what has

been observed by organizing the data. Most data collected by researchers is quantitative, and

data tables and charts are commonly used to organize the data. While graphs are generated from

data tables. They give the observer a visual representation of the findings, which makes analysis

and coming to conclusions easier. Relevant conclusions are dependent on data organization and

interpretation. Interpretation is the process of making sense of data (Oakparkusd.org., 2013).

The first one I did was a horizontal bar chart; this is a diagram where numerical values of

variables are displayed by the height or length of lines or rectangles of equal width

(YourDictionary.com., n.d.). The quantitative data on the first graph is for the offender’s age

based on the offender’s gender and what type of crime they committed. What the quantitative

data tells us is that the average female offender was 33 years old, and the average male offender

was around 19 years old. It also informs us that 28 percent of the crimes were for drug

possession while roughly 25 percent were for theft. The bar graph verifies the same information

by showing us with rectangle horizontal bars that are color-coded. The females are expressed

with blue and the males by green. The length of the bars gives a mental picture of the difference

between the age of females and males when they tend to commit crimes. Females being much

older than males. As well as it shows that the average male offender was between 17 to 20 years

and the average female was 33 to 34 years old. The quantitative data also shows us that an

accumulative Grand Total of 26.5 percent of crimes committed is theft and possession of drugs.

The second chart I did was a pie chart or circle chart, it is a visual representation of data as a

percentage of the total. Each part of the circle represents a piece of the information gathered. The

pie chart depicts the overall composition of different elements. The pie chart's total value is

always 100 percent. Each fraction or proportion of the total is represented by a portion of the

circle. It is not always a good type of graph to use because some things are not conveyed

correctly by the observer. For example, when you use a 3-D graphic for the pie chart it may alter

the size of the pieces of pie sending the wrong visual stimuli to the observer (Lane, 2013). You

also do not get the amount of information you can get from charts or graphs like a histogram. But

if you are wanting to pinpoint a single action or point out a particular fact a pie chart can be

immensely helpful. For instance, in the second chart, I only wanted to depict the offenses

involving possession of drugs and what time of day they were more likely to occur. The pie chart

or circle chart shows me that about 75 percent of drug possession crimes were committed in the

early morning and morning hours. 20 percent being early morning and 55 percent being in the

morning. This statistic would have been different had the theft crimes been included. The legend

or key in the chart represents how the different colors portray the different times of the day. This

makes it visually easier to understand what the chart is trying to point out in the research.

References

Bachman, R. D., & Schutt, R. K. (2019). The practice of research in criminology and criminal

justice (7th ed.). (Ch. 14). (pp. 404-415 and 426-444). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE

Publications.

Lane, D. (2013, April 22). Qualitative variables. Retrieved from

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-statistics/chapter/frequencydistributions- for-qualitative-data/

Oakparkusd.org. (2013, September 20). Why do scientists use charts and graphs? [PDF]

Retrieved from https://file///C:/Users/brand/Downloads/Organizing%20Data.pdf

YourDictionary.com. (n.d.). Examples of quantitative data. Retrieved from

https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-quantitative.html