NURS 460: Nursing Research
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Terminology Used in Statistical Analysis

  1. Types of Number Data
    1. Nominal
    2. Ordinal
    3. Interval
    4. Ratio
    5. Unvariant (one variable
    6. Bi-variant (two variables)

    7. Multi-variant (more than 2 variables)

  2. Types of Narrative Data Analysis

Narrative Data - is written information, for example descriptions about health plans, patients’ diaries or Florence Nightingale’s letters and records taken during the Crimean War.

Content Analysis – is the method of "coding" or categorizing narrative data by either using frequency counts or by qualitative summary.

Reliability of Content Analysis determines if the coding or summary is reproducible or consistency.

Intrarater (compares coder to herself) 70% or above indicates excellent reproducibility. Interrater reliability compares coder with another (clinician or a non-clinician) 50 to 70% good reproducibility.

  1. Descriptive Statistics
  1. Measures of central tendency or group averages
    central tendency – mode
    median
    mean
    frequency distribution histogram percent
  2. Measures of dispersion

    3. variability
    range
    standard deviation – average deviation around the Mean

  1. Descriptive Statistics – Bivariant

Contingency table (cross tabulation)
Correlation (scatter plots)
Spearman’s Rho Pearson’s r product or others

  1. Inferential Statistics
    1. Differences between group means
      T-test for independent samples (2 groups)
      Paired T-tests (pre-post means)
    2. Differences between means of 2 or more groups
      Multi-factor ANOVA (two, three, four – way ANOVA)
      between group variability/within group variability = F > 1
      Between group differences determined on post-hoc analysis

    3. Chi-square – differences between groups but on proportions/frequencies (not means)

  2. Multiple Correlation Statistics determines interrelationship and shared variance
    1. Regression Analysis – accounting for relationship variance
    2. Step-wise largest variance listed out

    3. First hierarchical - researcher lists order to enter variables

  1. To use statistical tests correctly you must remember:
  1. The underlining assumptions for use
  2. Appropriate type of data for each statistical test
  3. Representativeness of sample
  4. Meaning of p (probability)
  1. Significance
    1. p=probability or chance
    2. Distinguish between statistical versus clinical (practical) significance
 

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