Data Analysis

Data Analysis
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Data Analysis
Looking at the article, the purpose of the study was to “compare teachers’ perception of principal effectiveness” in the selected secondary schools. Therefore, with the aim of the research, it would be essential to collect data on various subjects that point to the general opinion of most of the teachers on the matter. Hence, descriptive statistics would be vital for the analysis of the collected information considering the research design and methodology in data collection. In this case, the researcher uses measures of central tendency including the mean to analyze the information. Therefore, since the nature of the research requires descriptive data, the use of the type of statistics seems appropriate for the study.
The researcher’s choice of descriptive statistics may have been appropriate though there are also other factors to consider. However, it is vital to carefully evaluate the purpose of the study when choosing the type of descriptive statistics available. When teachers fill the questionnaire, the research should be able to show the similarity and differences in principals who are effective versus those who are not. Hence, the comparison may not be entirely effective if the analysis only focuses on measures of central tendency (Leedy & Ormrod, 2015). It is crucial to look into the fact that a measure of variation provides a notion of how well the mean corresponds to the data. As a result, it would build on the reliability of the research findings.

In the case that there is a large variation of data, then there is a probability that the mean is not denoting the information appropriately. In most surveys, it is often a positive indication of the validity when there is little difference in the data groups. Therefore, combining measures of central tendency and variation would have been effective in the research.
In the case of the research, there is a focus on using central measures of tendency particularly, the mean to analyze the data. The researcher calculates the various scores and gets the average of each data set. In the statistical test, the researcher seeks to compare the teachers’ perceptions of effective principals. Hence, there is a need to identify the similarities and variations in the data sets. Therefore, ANOVA is the relevant statistical test to use in the study. ANOVA helps in determining variations in mean (Leedy & Ormrod, 2015). The test would not only indicate the characteristics of principles that teachers find effective, but it would also point to the less preferred tendencies. In the study, the researcher calculates the varying means of the data sets, then compares them to come to a conclusion.
Therefore, the ANOVA measuring tests are inappropriate for the type of descriptive measure that the researcher uses as well as the data. Surveys are essential in obtaining information. However, insights come about from the analysis the researcher opts to use. When getting metric information, the scholar can simply evaluate the mean between various groups. In the case of contrasting two groups, the researcher can utilize techniques such as t-test. Nevertheless, in this case, there are more than two groups of data sets that the researcher has to analyze (Leedy & Ormrod, 2015). Therefore, ANOVA provides that one can determine if the variations in the mean scores are by chance or actual measurements in relation to the data thus ensuring validity and reliability of the research findings.
Reference
Leedy, P. D., & Ormrod, J. E. (2015). Practical Research: Planning and design. Pearson Education.