The 100 per cent bar chart

Methods of communicating and displaying analyzed data

CHAPTER 16 -The 100 per cent bar chart is very similar to the stacked bar chart.
-In this case the subcategories of a variable are converted into
percentages of the total population.
4 ways of communicating and displaying the analyzed data. These are:
Displaying Data -Each bar, which total 100, is sliced into portions relative to the
1) Text percentage of each subcategory of the variable
- most common method of communication in both quantitative and qualitative research
Types of percentage The frequency polygon
studies
3 types of percentage: --problem in constructing a frequency polygon is what to do with the two
- should be thematic: - written around various themes of your report, findings should be
1. Row percentage: calculated from the total of all the subcategories of one categories at either extreme.
integrated into the literature citing references using an acceptable system of citation; your
variable that are displayed along a row in different columns, in relation to only -to bring the polygon line back to the x-axis, imagine the two extreme
writing should follow a logical progression of thought; and the layout should be attractive
one subcategory of the other variable. categories have an interval similar to the rest and assume the frequency
and pleasing to the eye.
2. Column percentage: in the same way, you can hold age at a constant level and in these categories to be zero.
examine variations in attitude. -from the midpoint of these intervals, you extend the polygon line to meet
2) Tables
3. Total percentage: this standardizes the magnitude of each cell; that is; it gives the x-axis at both ends. A frequency polygon can be drawn using either
Structure - A table has 5 parts:
the percentage of respondents who are classified in the subcategories of the absolute or proportionate frequencies.
Title
other variable.
- important to give each table its own number as you will need to refer to the tables when
interpreting and discussing the data. The cumulative frequency polygon
- In dissertation and report, one way to identify the table is by the chapter number followed by -the cumulative frequency polygon or cumulative frequency curve is drawn
3) Graph on the basis of cumulative frequencies.
the sequential number of the table in the chapter
- Graphics presentations can make analyzed data easier to understand and effectively -the main difference between a frequency polygon and a cumulative
- must be clearly specify the contents of that table.
communicate what it is supposed to show. frequency polygon is that the former is drawn by joining the midpoints of
- the dependent variable should be identified first in the title if hv 2 variables.
- to present data in a way that is easy to understand and interpret, and interesting to look the intervals
at. The pie chart
Stub
-can be constructed for every type of data – quantitative and qualitative – and for any type -the stem-and –leaf display is an effective, quick and simple way of
-the subcategories of a variable, listed along the y-axis
of variable. displaying
- ‘the stub, usually the first column on the left, lists the items about which information is provided
-for categorical variables you can only construct bar charts, histograms or pie charts, -the stem-and-leaf diagram for a frequency distribution running into two
in the horizontal rows to the right.’ (McGraw-Hill Style Manual )
whereas for continuous variables, in addition to the above, line or trend graphs can also be digits is plotted by displaying digits 0 to 9 on the left of the y-axis.
constructed -note that the stem-and-leaf display does not use grouped data but
Column headings
-a graph should be drawn to an appropriate scale. absolute frequencies.
-the subcategories of a variable, listed along the x-axis.
-important to choose a scale that enables your graphs to be neither too small nor too large,
-in univariate tables the column heading is usually the ‘number of the respondent’’ and/or the
and your choice of scale for each axis should result in the spread of axes being roughly The line diagram or trend curve
‘percentage of respondents’.
proportionate to one another. -a set of data measured on a continuous interval or a ratio scale can be
-in bivariate tables (displaying information-2 variables) it is the subcategories of one of the
variables displayed in the column headings displayed using a line diagram or trend curve.
The histogram -If it relates to the a period, the midpoint of each interval at a height
- consists of a series of rectangles drawn next to each other without any space between commensurate with each frequency – as in the case of a frequency
Body
them, each representing the frequency of a category or subcategory. polygon – is marked as a dot.
The cells housing the analyzed data
- the height of the rectangles may represent the absolute or proportional frequency or
the percentage of the total The area chart
Supplementary notes or footnotes
- 4 types of footnotes: source notes; other general notes; notes on specific parts of the table; -for variables measured on an interval or a ratio scale, information about
The bar chart the subcategories of a variable can also be presented in the form of an
and notes on the level of probability (The Chicago Manual Style 1993: 333).
- used for displaying categorical data. A bar chart is identical to a histogram, except that area chart.
- if the data is taken from another source, you have an obligation to acknowledge this. This
in a bar chart the rectangles representing the various frequencies are spaced, thus
should be identified at the bottom of the table, and labelled by the word ‘source’.
indicating that the data is categorical. The scattergram
- other explanatory notes should be added at the bottom of a table
- used for variables measured on nominal or ordinal scales. -both the variables must be measured either on interval or ratio scales
- The discrete categories are usually displayed along the x-axis and the number of and the data on both the variables needs to be available in absolute
Types of table
percentage of respondents on the y-axis. values for each observation – you cannot develop a scattergram for
Depending upon the number of variables about which information is displayed, tables can be
categorized as: categorical variables.
The stacked bar chart
- similar to a bar chart except that in the former each bar shows information about two or 4) Statistical measures
1. Univariate (also known as frequency tables) :containing information about one variable.
more variables stacked onto each other vertically. -have simple descriptive measures such as mean, mode, median and, on
-the sections of a bar show the proportion of the variables they represent in relation to one the other; there are inferential statistical measures like analysis of
2. Bivariate (also known as cross-tabulations): containing information about two variables.
another. variance, factorial analysis, multiple regressions
-the stacked bars can be drawn only for categorical data
3. Polyvariate or multivariate: containing information about more than two variables.