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7.3
Data Analysis
P
urpose
The role this topic plays in quantitative reasoning
At the heart of quantitative reasoning is the process of analyzing a data set. As you learned in Chapter 5,
data is generated in multiple ways. You will now use tools and techniques covered in previous chapters
to analyze data.
Researchers use data to better understand the essential attributes of a given situation. Investigators
analyze data to discover important relationships. Policy makers use data to inform decision-making.
Corporations use data to analyze the effectiveness of their processes. Professional sports teams use data
to predict future performance of athletes. Political campaigns use data to determine the best ways to
deliver their messages. Mathematics is the science of problem solving and in the current world, data may
be the single most important tool with respect to real-world problem solving.
Although problem solving is important, data analysis is more than just problem solving; it is a mindset
for leveraging the value of data. The level of knowledge is elevated through the process of analyzing
data:
Level One
Informational knowledge; data is converted to information
Level Two
Meaning and understanding are gained through data analysis
Level Three A set of contextual conclusions are developed
Level Four
Data analysis makes clear wider implications of the data, helping to define new
problems and leveraging current and future data to help to solve these problems
Analyzing a set of data is an extended process of inquiry that creates insights that can be shared with
others. It is a process that most professionals use on a daily basis. Evidence-based decision-making is
valued not only in most organizations, but also within families and communities, as it tends to be the
most rational way to make decisions, when the data has been analyzed thoroughly and fairly. After
all, evidence is really just data that has been analyzed. Your personal and professional decisions are
significantly improved when you substitute subjective decisions with objective and evidence-based
decisions.
L
earning Goals
What you should learn while completing this activity
1. Effectively use the Methodology for Performing Data Analysis.
2. Formulate basic inquiry question and learn to continually formulate new questions during the data
analysis process.
3. Produce an analytical report sharing findings as supported by evidence while simultaneously recog-
nizing the contextual limitations of both data and a specific analysis of that data.