Data Preparation - Quantitative Research

What is the primary purpose of recoding in data analysis?

• To change the format of the dataset for aesthetic purposes

• To transform values into new categories for better analysis

• To delete unnecessary variables from the dataset

• To replace numerical values with string values

Which type of recoding allows you to modify values while keeping the original data intact?

• Automatic Recode

• Recode into Same Variable

• Recode into Different Variable

• Compute Variable

Which of the following is NOT a reason to use automatic recoding in SPSS?

• Convert text (string) variables into numeric data

• Ensure consistency in coding large datasets

• Maintain alphabetical order in coding

• Delete missing values from the dataset

Which of the following methods is most appropriate for identifying potential outliers in a dataset of exam scores?

• Calculating the mean and standard deviation, then identifying scores that is 3 standard deviations from the mean

• Creating a histogram and looking for scores that appear in the highest bar

• Sorting the data and removing the first and last 5% of scores automatically

• Using a pie chart to visualize the distribution of scores

When calculating a 5% trimmed mean for a dataset, what is the correct procedure?

• Remove the lowest 5% of data points and calculate the mean of the remaining 95%

• Remove the highest 5% of data points and calculate the mean of the remaining 95%

• Remove the lowest 2.5% and highest 2.5% of data points, then calculate the mean of the remaining 95%

• Remove the middle 5% of data points and calculate the mean of the remaining 95%

Which of the following variables is an example of a dichotomous variable?

• Age in years

• Gender (Male/Female)

• Education level (High School, Bachelor's, Master's, PhD)

• Satisfaction rating (Very Satisfied, Satisfied, Neutral, Dissatisfied, Very Dissatisfied)

What are monotone responses in survey research and what do they typically indicate?

• When participants select the same answer for all questions, indicating strong agreement with all statements

• When participants select answers in a consistent pattern, showing reliable and valid responses

• When participants select the same answer for all questions, often due to disengagement or survey fatigue

• When participants select answers randomly, indicating lack of understanding of the questions

A researcher discovers that 20% of the data in a critical variable is missing. What is the most appropriate initial step to address this issue?

• Delete all records with missing values immediately to clean the dataset

• Replace all missing values with the mean of the available data

• Analyze the pattern of missingness to determine if values are missing at random

• Ignore the missing values since only 20% of the data is affected

What is the significance of eyeballing data during the data preparation phase?

• Identifies potential data quality issues before formal analysis

• Provides initial insights that can guide analysis decisions

• Helps establish data integrity and reliability

• All of the above

How might a histogram appear if the data is not normally distributed?

• It could be left skewed

• It could be right skewed

• It could be bimodal

• All of the above