ABSTRACT
Data analysis, along with data collection, is the real essence of the research process. Data should be used to the full but not gone beyond, for to do so is to make unwarranted claims. For instance, conclusions made on the basis of data collected on the mathematical abilities of a group of inner-city children in the UK may well apply to a similar group of rural children in the UK, or to a group of inner-city children in the USA, but this cannot be assumed. Coding data technique is important for both quantitative and qualitative data. The purpose of coding is to render the data into a form in which it can be presented and analysed. If a random sample has been selected then this variability often follows a slope called a normal distribution curve. Powerful tests using inferential statistics can be used to infer things about the population from which the sample was drawn.
