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Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

The document outlines exercises and questions related to data collection and sampling for students. It includes various scenarios for collecting data, types of data, and methods for sampling, along with practice questions to enhance understanding. The content is aimed at preparing students for statistical analysis and data interpretation.

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Kingsley Chen
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© All Rights Reserved
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29 views5 pages

Data Collection and Sampling Techniques

The document outlines exercises and questions related to data collection and sampling for students. It includes various scenarios for collecting data, types of data, and methods for sampling, along with practice questions to enhance understanding. The content is aimed at preparing students for statistical analysis and data interpretation.

Uploaded by

Kingsley Chen
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

6 Collecting data
6.1 Data collection
Exercise 6.1

E
Focus
1 Your school has a record of personal data about you.
Suggest a piece of information that might be in your record that is

2
a
c

PL
categorical data
continuous data.
b discrete data

Here are two questions about homework.

a
•
•
How much homework do learners do each night?
On which subject do learners spend most time?
What data do you need to collect to answer these questions?
b You decide to collect data from a sample of learners in
M
your school.
How will you choose the sample?
3 When babies are born, their gender, length and mass are recorded.
a What type of data is this?
b Write three statistical questions you could answer using
this data.
SA

c How could you choose a sample of babies to collect data to


answer your questions?

Practice
4 Here are three questions about customers at a large hotel.
• Why do people choose this hotel?
• What are they here for?
• How long do they stay?
a What data do you need to collect to answer these questions?
b How can you collect the data you need?

69to publication.
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior
We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

6 Collecting data

5 It is healthy to eat vegetables. Look at these statements.

Do girls eat
Do older children eat
more vegetables
more vegetables than
than boys?
younger children?

E
a What data do you need to answer these questions?
b How can you collect the data you need?
6 Sudoku is a popular puzzle. Here are two questions:
•
•
a

Challenge
7
PL
Are girls better than boys at Sudoku?
Are 11-year-olds better than 14-year-olds at Sudoku?
What data do you need to collect to answer these questions?
b How can you collect the data you need?

You want to answer this question.


M
Are words in other languages longer than words in English?

You can choose a language to test.


a What data do you need to collect to answer this question?
b How can you collect the data you need?
SA

c Test your data collection method on a small sample.


d Was your data collection method satisfactory? Can you think
of a way to improve it?
8 Here is a statistical question:
Do books for children have shorter sentences than books for adults?

To answer this question, you are going to collect some data.


a What data do you need to collect?
b Describe a method of choosing a sample of sentences
from a book.
c Choose a book and try your sampling method.
d Were there any problems with your sampling method?
Do you want to change your sampling method?

70
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

6.2 Sampling

9 Arm span is the distance between your fingertips when you spread
your arms.
The femur is the bone in your thigh.
an arm span

length of a femur

Here are two statements. Tip


• A person’s arm span and height are roughly the same length.

E
Think about
• The length of a person’s femur is about one-quarter of
differences
their height.
between
You are going to test these statements by measuring a sample people that
of people. might affect the

PL
What factors do you need to think about when you are planning
your sample?

6.2 Sampling
Exercise 6.2
measurements.
M
Focus
1 There are 850 students in a college.
a Describe three ways to choose a sample of 40 students.
b Give an advantage and a disadvantage of each method.
SA

2 Zara wants to give a questionnaire to 100 people who travel on a


bus route.
a Describe an advantage of this method.
b Describe two disadvantages of this method.
c Describe a method that overcomes the
disadvantages you identified
in part b. I will give a questionnaire
d Describe one disadvantage to the first 100 passengers
of your method in part c. who get on the bus after
10:00 tomorrow.

71to publication.
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior
We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

6 Collecting data

3 A supermarket has a car park.


Here is a conjecture: Cars park for longer in the morning than in
the afternoon.
This chart shows the results of a survey of the parking time for
100 cars in the morning and 100 cars in the afternoon. The survey
was done on a Tuesday.

50 Morning
Frequency

40 Afternoon

E
30
20
10
0
0.5 hours more more more than
or less than 0.5h than 1h 1.5 hours

Practice
PL but no but no
more more
than 1h than 1.5h
Minutes

Does the data support the conjecture? Give a reason for


your answer.
Write down one way to improve the survey.
M
4 Men and women of different ages visit a coffee shop.
The owner wants to give a survey to a sample of 50 customers.
The owner says, ‘I will interview all the customers who come to the
coffee shop between 10:00 and 12:00 tomorrow morning.’
a Write one disadvantage of this method of choosing a sample.
SA

b Describe a better way to choose a sample. Justify your answer.


5 A survey records the speeds of cars on a road.
The survey measures the speed of every car that passes in two
hours; between 08:00 and 09:00 and between 17:00 and 18:00 on
one Wednesday.
a Why are two separate time periods better than one?
b Describe a disadvantage of this method.
c Suggest two ways to improve the survey.

72
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior to publication.
We are working with Cambridge Assessment International Education towards endorsement of this title.

6.2 Sampling

6 The guests at two hotels are asked to give a score for quality of
service, on a scale of 1 to 5.
1 is poor and 5 is excellent.
This chart shows the results.

25 Hotel A
Frequency

20 Hotel B
15
10
5

E
0
0 1 2 3 4 5
Minutes

Here is a conjecture: Hotel A provides better service than hotel B.


a

Challenge
7
PL
Does the data support the conjecture? Give a reason for
your answer.
b Write down one way to improve the survey.

One way to choose a sample is to call people on the telephone and


ask them to complete a questionnaire.
a How can you make sure you get a representative sample?
M
b Describe an advantage of this method.
c Describe a disadvantage of this method.
8 Here is a question:
How many questions are there in the exercises in this book?
It would take a long time to look at every exercise in the book.
SA

Instead, you can answer this question by looking at a sample


of exercises.
Here are two ways of choosing a sample.
Tip
A Look at all the exercises in the first three units.
B Choose three units by picking numbers from a hat. You could
Look at all the exercises in those units. talk about
advantages and
a Try each of these methods. Record the number of questions in
disadvantages.
each exercise in a chart so you can compare the two methods.
Is one method
b Think of a third way to choose a sample. Try your method better than the
and record the results. others? Why?
c Compare the three methods of choosing a sample.

73to publication.
Original material © Cambridge University Press 2021. This material is not final and is subject to further changes prior

Common questions

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To ensure a representative sample in a public area, such as in a supermarket or a coffee shop, the sampling should occur at various times and on different days to capture a diverse cross-section of the population. Taking measures such as systematic sampling, where every nth person is surveyed, or stratified sampling that includes different sub-groups proportionally, can also help in achieving representation .

Using a mixed-method research design can provide a comprehensive view of service quality, capturing both quantitative data (e.g., ratings on a scale) and qualitative insights (e.g., open-ended feedback). This approach allows for triangulation, improving validity by corroborating evidence from multiple sources and types of data. It entails designing structured surveys to gather numerical ratings and interviews or focus groups for detailed personal experiences, offering both depth and breadth .

To minimize biases, ensure a randomized and systematic approach in selecting the sample. Use stratified sampling to cover different categories of text (such as fiction, non-fiction, technical manuals) and utilize statistical text analysis tools to select words at regular intervals across diverse categories and sources. Additionally, validating results with random sampling from other unrelated texts can help confirm consistency and reliability .

Effective strategies include using technology, such as sensor-based data collection methods, to improve accuracy and consistency. Implementing consistent time slots over several days and ensuring these cover both peak and off-peak times will help improve robustness. Additionally, anonymizing data collection and securing participant consent can enhance ethical standards and result trustworthiness .

To improve the credibility of a hotel service quality survey, ensure that the survey sample is randomized and representative of all guest demographics. Utilize a mixed-method approach, such as including both quantitative ratings and qualitative feedback, to gain a fuller understanding of guest experiences. Also, collecting responses immediately after the hotel stay can increase accuracy, as experiences will be fresh in guests’ minds. These modifications help in reducing biases and offering a more reliable assessment .

The benefit of using a sample size of 40 from a college of 850 students is that it makes the study more manageable and less resource-intensive while still providing insights into the overall population. However, the drawback is that the smaller sample size may not adequately represent the diversity within the larger student body, potentially leading to sampling error or biased results unless carefully sampled to reflect the college's diversity .

Challenges include selecting a representative sample of books that accurately reflect the diversity within each category, such as differences in genre and author. Addressing these challenges involves implementing a systematic sampling strategy, selecting a large enough pool of books across various genres, and using text analysis software to ensure consistent measurement of sentence length. Validation through peer review or comparison with previously conducted studies can further enhance reliability .

Collecting data in more than one time period can capture variations in behavior or trends that occur at different times, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the data subject. For example, measuring car speeds during both morning and evening rush hours can reveal different traffic patterns than measuring at only one time . However, a disadvantage is that it requires more resources, such as time and personnel, for data collection, and could increase the complexity of data analysis .

The advantage of using a telephone survey is that it allows for rapid data collection and can reach a broad geographic area, making it easier to obtain a representative sample if the sampling technique is appropriately random . However, a disadvantage is that it may exclude individuals who do not have telephones or are in underserved areas, potentially leading to a non-representative sample. There's also the risk of low response rates as people may decline to participate in surveys over the phone .

Discrepancies between hypothesized and measured arm span to height ratios may arise due to individual biological variations, measurement errors, or non-representative sampling. Solutions include increasing the sample size to better reflect population diversity, ensuring precise measurement techniques, and accounting for factors such as age, gender, and ethnicity that might affect these metrics. Peer comparison or meta-analysis can further validate findings .

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