As students were allowed to choose their own topics as well as to use a secondary data for this project 2 using inferential statistics, I thought it would be very much easier compared to the previous project using the primary data especially. However, this project had changed my perspectives in a very good way. There were some aspects that needed to be taken into considerations.
First and foremost, when it came to choosing data, I was overwhelmed to find a lot of interesting topics, but not all of them were suitable. Therefore, it was extremely important to choose the right and the most suitable secondary data despite our great interest. At the same time, one should make sure himself or herself understand the inferential statistics and how each test works as this helps to prevent making unnecessary mistakes. For example, testing the wrong data and not having enough data or information. I had a misunderstanding earlier about a test, for which I tried to rearrange and reselect the data. This had proven the importance of understanding the test for choosing the suitable data. Yet, fortunately, I did not have to make many changes, because the secondary data used contained a variety of data, providing me enough information. While choosing the data that consisted of different data types – nominal, ordinal, ratio and interval, I realised it was the best to choose the data with the most ratio, because it could be tested adequately and effectively.
Rstudio is, indeed, powerful and useful in running the tests. It provides a lot of information about our data and the tests. It took me some time, but not long to figure out how those tests worked. It was not hard, yet required practices. One who has got used to the inferential statistics in Rstudio might take less than 5 minutes to complete one simple test, which is why I think this software is incredible. Then, I tried to create graphs like normal distribution, F-distribution and so on. Previously, in project 1, descriptive statistics were carried out, where I learned more about plotting or creating amazing graphs. I am still feeling grateful about that and it helped me out in project 2. For instance, since I had learned to create scatter plot for project 1, I was able to use my knowledge or skill again in project 2. As a beginner, I did not feel as struggled as in the previous project anymore. Instead, I was very interested in my own data and I had the urge to explore more. I felt rather calm even though there were times I was stuck. It felt as if I was doing the tests for myself, not for the project assigned, because the study I conducted was real-life-based and I was also eager to find out more about it.
Having done the tests, I tried to present or explain my findings clearly by showing the graphs in the slides. This was because visuals could be impactful in helping the audience to understand. Furthermore, for the infographic, I used many different colours in the hope of attracting the readers. I presented my results in a very simple way in order to avoid boredom and complications.
In conclusion, I had yet gained a lot in terms of skills and knowledge. This project had helped me to develop and improve my analytical skills. Carrying out inferential statistics using secondary data is fun and interesting. However, we must not forget the criteria while choosing the suitable data. Once again, I truly appreciate the patience and guides given by my lecturer, Dr. Sharin Hazlin binti Huspi.