Independent-Samples T-Test with SPSS - Lab Report Example

INDEPENDENT-SAMPLES T TEST WITH SPSS of the Sample Over the weeks, a lot of efforts have been put in place in setting the sample size for the study. Because the study was undertaken in a university campus, which is made up people with different descriptive background, a number of personal variables were taken into consideration in the creation of the sample size. Particularly, a lot of emphasis was laid on the gender or sex of the respondents. The reason for this idea was that the overall hypothesis of the study is based on the academic performance of students if they are introduced to a 2-tier curriculum. Subsequently, it was very important to look at how the intervention designed would affect respondents in terms of their sex. Earlier, literature had reviewed that there is a lot of relationship between the academic performance and learning attitudes of males and females (Ahuja, 2007). The selection of the sex of respondents as an independent personal variable was therefore a step in the right direction (Maloney, 2008). All in all, combination of purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select as many males as females. The SPSS was used to generate the table below, which gives a quantitative representation of the number of males and females that existed in the sample size. Sex Number Percentage (%) Male Female 5 5 50 50 Total 10 100 Description of Data Collected A short test was conducted to find the impact of a 2-tier curriculum on the academic performance of respondents in relation to their roles in society. The test was scaled or scored over 10. Previously, a pre-test had been held so as to get comparative bases for judging the impact of the intervention. The last test, which formed the basis for the major data that was collected, was thus labeled as the post test (Al-Ghorfa, 2009). Commonly, the post test should tell the researcher of the impact of the intervention that was carried out in the course of the study (World Bank, 2004). For the present stage of the study, which takes a look at the independent sample t-test, the researcher shall make use of only the post-test results or scores of the test. This is because the researcher expects that the post-test results will be a reflection of the general performance of the individual respondents who took the test. On a raw scale, the following results were obtained from the respondents and they reflect the results that were fed into the SPSS. The results are tabulated below in their raw form without any indication of the description of the individual respondents who scored them. Independent and dependent variables Based on the type of data that the researcher was interested in collecting and the findings that the researcher was seeking to test, the following variables were produced: Independent Variable: 2-tier curriculum; sex of students Dependent Variable: Score of students in test; improved performance of students The 2-tier curriculum was selected as the independent variable as it serves as the intervention used by the researcher in determining the effect or output of an intended purpose (Al-Lamki, 2008). In this study, the intended purpose was the improvement of the overall academic performance of students. Again, the sex of students was selected as an independent variable as it is believed to influence what the outcome of tests and performance of students would be; according to the social roles that they play, which ultimately affects their learning trends and learning characteristics. Indeed, the sex of the students and the social roles played by the students was a perfect match to the 2-tier curriculum because the appropriateness of a particular curriculum could depend on whether or not the person would have the daily schedule that matches up with it. Then again, the score of the students was selected as dependent variables because the score is the input that is tested by the 2-tier curriculum. This score was subsequently supposed to determine the overall improvement of the students’ academic performance. Null and the alternative hypothesis Null Hypothesis (Ho): 2-tier curriculum is more beneficial to females in the improvement of their academic performance than males Alternative Hypothesis (H1): 2-toer curriculum is less beneficial to females in the improvement of their academic performance than males From every indication, the hypotheses set have direct inference on the samples t-test to be conducted using the SPSS. This is because the emphases in both the null and alternative hypothesis have been put on the gender or sex of students, who undertook the test. Meanwhile, the sex of students is a direct component of all possible characteristics that can be derived from the sample (Barney, 2001). In other words, the sex of the students or respondents as reflected in the two hypotheses can best stand as a dependent variable (De Cenzo and Robbins, 2004). Statistical assumptions for this test A couple of statistical assumptions follow the test procedure that was undertaken in SPSS. The essence of these assumptions was to level out on the reliability and validity of results and also ensuring that the researcher closes up on the margins of errors that could possibly be produced from the study (Campos and Root, 2006). Some of the major statistical assumptions are therefore given as follows: It was assumed that the Independent variables that were used in the study were made up of two independent groups. It was assumed that there was the presence of dependent variable, which was set marginal interval or ratio. It was assumed that all dependent variables that were used in the study were approximately normally distributed when testing for normality was done. It was assumed that there existed similar variance between the two groups of variables namely the female and male sex and that this resulted in homogeneity of variances (Aryee, 2004). Output of the independent t-test in SPSS Using the SPSS, the two groups were identified by the creation of grouping variable that labeled the two groups with the values of “1” and “2”. The value “1” represented females, whiles the value “2” represented males. Subsequently, the SPSS was used to produce some major statistical information, which has been transcribed below. Representation of the Scores According to Groups The scores had earlier been displayed without giving an indication of the groups that scored them. Having used the SPSS to differentiate the groups into “1” and “2”, the following representation comes out. Descriptive Statistics according to Groups T-Test Results Conclusion The mean that was found using the SPSS has given a clear indication of the hypothesis that was set. Indeed, the data collected so far has gone beyond every reasonable doubt to show that the female sex is not so much affected by a 2-tier curriculum. His is because by the introduction of the 2-teor curriculum, it was males rather than females who had improved scores in their tests. Generally, if the female sex had been the benefactor of the 2-tier curriculum, they would have had better scores than their males counterparts (Birks and Sinclair, 2000). REFERENCE LIST Al-Ghorfa, (2009). Reducing Dependence on Expatriate Labour. Al-Ghorfa, No. 118. Sultanate of Oman: Oman Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Ahuja, V. (2007). Everyones Miracle? Revisiting Poverty and Inequality in East Asia, Washington, D.C.: World Bank. Al-Lamki, S. (2008). Barriers to Omanization in the private sector: the perception of Omani graduates. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 9. Aryee, S. (2004). The social organization of careers as a source of sustained competitive advantage: The Case of Singapore. The International Journal of Human Resource Management 5, 67-87. Barney, J. (2001). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17: 99-120. Birks, J.S. and Sinclair, C. A. (2000). Arab manpower: the crisis of development, London: Croom-Helm. Campos, J. and Root, H. (2006). The key to the Asian miracle: making shared growth credible. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution. De Cenzo, D. A. & Robbins, S. P. fourth edition (2004). Human resource management: concetps & practices. USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Maloney, W. (2008). The structure of labour markets in developing countries: time series evidence on competing views. World Bank Report. World Bank: Washington D.C. World Bank (2004). Sultanate of Oman: sustainable growth and economic diversification. Report No. 12199-OM. Read More