ABSTRACT
This chapter describes quantitative data analysis, how it should be linked to the research question and the interpretation of results. The selection of data analysis techniques to help answer different types of research question is covered. Performance analysis data often go through various stages of processing before statistical tests can be applied. There are spreadsheet processing techniques, such as pivot tables, that can be used to determine performance indicator values from the raw data. There are many different ways of designing performance analysis investigations with independent samples, related samples, associations between performance indicators or combinations of these. This chapter describes the analysis of such data using parametric and nonparametric inferential tests and how they are undertaken using SPSS (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Il). The assumptions of the various tests and how these can be tested are also covered. The chapter includes examples of performance data that are analysed in SPSS and the SPSS output information to be used in the production of the results.
