Quantitative Methods

Games are undoubtedly the most successful computer application yet it is not easy to attribute their success to any one particular feature. Nonetheless, when talking about games, gamers and reviewers frequently refer to the immersive experience of the game as an important aspect to be attained. However, it is not clear what immersion is and even if it is a comparable experience between different players and different games. This paper aims to develop more quantifiable and therefore objective measures of immersion. We describe a study into switching from an immersive gaming experience to another task, not in the game world. Though the degree of immersion does seem to have an impact on the ability to perform the task, the experimental approach is complex and possibly quite fragile. We therefore set out hypotheses for a similar experiment with the aim of exploring whether eyetracking and body motion provide better indicators of the degree of immersion.

One of the most important developments in European history took place in communication. A transition is clearly visible from illiterate societies to societies in which most members are active users of the written word. This complex process, which started in Antiquity, and is still not complete, gained momentum during the Middle Ages. This series is intended to provide a forum for publications on the history of non-verbal, oral and written communication in the Middle Ages. Interest in the subject is now widespread within the worldwide community of medieval studies; and ever more scholars are becoming convinced of the potential of studying the tensions between oral and literate modes of thought.

The purpose of this quantitative data analysis was to examine the relationship between industry type and information security risk-level among businesses in the United States.  This paper took into account collected business related data from 36 industry types.  Pattern recognition, bivariate linear regression analysis, and a one-sample t-test were performed to test the industry type and information security risk-level relationship of the selected business.  Test results indicated that there is a significant predictive relationship between industry type and risk-level rates among United States businesses.  Moreover, the one-sample t-test results indicated that United States businesses classified as a particular industry type are more likely to have a higher information security risk-level than the midpoint level of United States businesses.

Cette deuxième édition de Méthodes statistiques en sciences humaines a été produite dans le même esprit que la première. L’intention est à nouveau de présenter les outils statistiques dans une logique méthodologique et pratique, en les décrivant, en indiquant comment les utiliser avec le logiciel SPSS, en montrant comment interpréter les résultats que livre le logiciel et en proposant un exemple de la manière de rapporter ces résultats.
    Par rapport à la première, la principale différence de cette nouvelle édition est celle du recours à la version 26 du logiciel SPSS, ce qui modifie la manière dont les résultats sont disposés quand on compare avec les versions qui précèdent la 24e, la première édition ayant été développée avec une telle version du logiciel.
    Outre cet ajustement important, plusieurs corrections ont été apportées : des formules ont été révisées, des erreurs typographiques ont été supprimées, des descriptions ont été ajustées.
    Nous avons aussi augmenté le contenu. Pour le log-linéaire, par exemple, nous avons ajouté une illustration avec des variables qui comptent plus de deux modalités ; pour l’analyse de variance, nous avons discuté des conséquences d’un test de Levene qui s’avère significatif ; dans le cas des tests non paramétriques sur la comparaison, nous avons juxtaposé la façon traditionnelle de faire avec celle qu’offre en parallèle le logiciel, car ce que propose désormais SPSS sur ce plan mérite l’attention.

Online music streaming has become a rapidly increasing social phenomenon in past few years with as many as 103.1 million people currently paying for music streaming services worldwide. However, the literature highlights a specific issue regarding online consumer behaviour. Recent figures published by popular online streaming service providers show that the number of people that use music streaming services for free substantially eclipses this figure. Therefore, by using Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour Model, this study identifies which factors best determine a consumer’s willingness to pay for music online.
Through the use of quantitative, statistical methods, this study finds a strong association between a person’s age group and a willingness to pay for online music streaming. This study suggests that young people demonstrate a conscience for online music consumption activity due to an increased consciousness for normative social influences and are, therefore, more likely to engage in the social behaviour. Perhaps more importantly, this study demonstrates the usefulness of applying Ajzen’s (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour Model to research within the social sciences due its demonstrated high construct validity in addition to its ability to explain the nature of social action within an Internet technology-related consumer behaviour context.
It is hoped that the findings of this study will be used to inform some of the key players within the music industries about taking a sociological approach to the understanding of online consumer behaviour. By gaining an understanding of the motivations behind a consumer’s willingness to pay for online music streaming, better marketing initiatives can be developed to improve the disparity between fee paying and fee free users.

‘The Italian Venus revisited - A topical catalogue of artworks by Italian artists and their repetitions’. Volume 1.2 counts 618 pages describing 6985 artworks of 1876 identified Italian artists depicting the Greek-Roman Goddess Venus. The catalogue is part of a series of six from a digital thematic research collection of the Iconography of Venus from the Middle Ages to Modern Times. A contribution to the quantitative approach and distant viewing in art history.
Blog 'Iconography in Art History' http://kbender.blogspot.be

Street-level bureaucrats implementing public policies have a certain degree of autonomy – or discretion – in their work. Following Lipsky, discretion has received wide attention in the policy implementation literature. However, scholars have not developed theoretical frameworks regarding the effects of discretion, which were then tested these using large samples. This study therefore develops a theoretical framework regarding two main effects of discretion: client meaningfulness and willingness to implement. The relationships are tested using a survey among 1,300 healthcare professionals implementing a new policy. The results underscore the importance of discretion. Implications of the findings and a future research agenda is shown.

Bu kitap; duygusal ve davranışsal bozukluklara sahip öğrenciler hakkında bilgi sahibi olmak isteyen sınıf öğretmenleri, özel eğitim öğretmenleri ve alanda çalışan uzmanlar için hazırlanmış giriş niteliğinde bir uygulama kitabıdır. Her bir bozukluğun nedeni, tanımlanması, güncel araştırmalar ışığında verilmeye çalışılmış ve okul ortamındaki pratik uygulamalarla da anlatım zenginleştirilmiştir. Bunlara ek olarak belirli bir bozukluğun tüm yönlerine ilişkin temel yaklaşımla birlikte bilimsel olarak geliştirilmiş müdahele yöntemleri de verilmeye çalışılmıştır.

Bu kitabın alanda yeni çalışmaya başlayan öğretmenler kadar güncel verilerle desteklenen tanı koyma ve müdahele stratejilrine önem vermesi nedeniyle alanda uzun süredir çalışmakta olan öğretmenlere ve uzmanlara da yararlı olacağını düşünmekteyiz.

For no apparent reason, research philosophy tends to send dissertation students into a mild panic. The befuddlement caused by a range of new terminology relating to the philosophy of knowledge is unnecessary when all that you are trying to achieve is some clarity over the status of any knowledge claims you make in your study. Accounting and Finance sits within the broader context of the social sciences, and this chapter offers a guide to the standard philosophical positions required to specify the particular form of research you plan to undertake. Collectively, these positions will define what we refer to as a research paradigm (see Figure 4.1: Methods Map). For us, a comprehensive artic-ulation of a research design draws together five layers of interlocking choices that you, the researcher, should make when specifying how you plan to execute your research. There is no single 'right' way to undertake research, but there are distinct traditions, each of which tends to operate with its own, internally consistent, set of choices. The Methods Map offers a clear and structured approach that will ensure that you can identify each of the choices you make in selecting the research design for your project. The process of developing a research design begins with the location of your proposed work within a particular research paradigm. Certain methods of data gathering and analysis tend to follow from certain paradigms, although it is important to notice that these implied pathways are not fixed. What is truly important is your ability to recognise and justify the interlocking choices which represent your own research design. Later chapters will deconstruct and explain the subsequent stages of the Map, namely those choices relating to both data gathering and data analysis. The sections that follow in this chapter relate to the starting point of the Methods Map, labelled 'Research Paradigm. ' We shall first consider the reasons for articulating a research philosophy, before exploring objective and subjective ontologies, and the epistemological positions known as positivism, critical realism, action research and interpretivism. In passing, we will also look at rhetoric (the study of persuasive language) and axiology (the study of value) as a means of rounding out your understanding of some key phrases and concepts.

"1 Introduction
PRINCIPLES AND PLANNING FOR RESEARCH
2 Theoretical Perspectives and Research Methodologies
3  Selecting and Planning Research Proposals and Projects
4 Research Ethics
5 Searching, critically reviewing and using the literature
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
6 Research design: quantitative methods
7 Research design: qualitative methods
8 Research design: using mixed methods
9 Sampling strategies
10 Designing Descriptive and analytical surveys
11 Designing Case Studies
12 Designing Evaluations
13 Action Research and Change
DATA COLLECTION METHODS
14 Collecting Primary Data: Questionnaires
15 Collecting Primary Data: Interviewing
16 Collecting Primary Data: Non-participant Observation
17 Collecting Primary Data: Ethnography and participant observation
18 Collecting Primary Data: Focus groups
19 Collecting Primary Data: Unobtrusive Measures
ANALYSIS AND REPORT WRITING
20 Secondary analysis
21 Getting started using SPSS
22 Analysing and Presenting Quantitative Data
23 Analysing and Presenting Qualitative Data
24Writing up the Research
25 Planning presentations and vivas
References
Glossary
"

Anormal Psikoloji kitabı, ruhsal bozukluklar alanında çalışan tüm profesyoneller, psikiyatristler, klinik psikologlar, psikologlar, psikolojik danışmanlar, hekimler, sosyal hizmet uzmanları, psikiyatri hemşireleri ve bu alanlarda öğrenci yetiştiren akademisyenler ile eğitim alan öğrenciler için temel bir başvuru kitabıdır.
2013 yılının Mayısı ayında yayımlanan DSM-5 ölçütlerine göre ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili sunulan bilgilerin güncellemesinin de yapıldığı bu kitap, tüm dünyada pek çok üniversitenin psikiyatri ve psikoloji bölümlerinde ders kitabı olarak okutulmaktadır.
Kitabın her bölümünde, ilk olarak ruhsal bozukluklarla ilgili vakalar sunulmakta, daha sonra bozuklukların klinik tanıları yapılmakta ve DSM-IV-TR’den farklı olan DSM-5’te yapılan değişikliklere yer verilmektedir. Ayrıca, DSM-5’teki tanı ölçütleri, bozuklukların etiyolojisi ve epidemiyolojisi, bozukluklar üzerinde kalıtımın ve çevrenin etkileri, biyolojik ve sosyal ve kültürel etkiler, en güncel araştırmalardan elde edilen verilerle harmanlanarak sunulmaktadır. Ruhsal bozuklukların tedavisinde etkili olacak terapi yaklaşımları ve ilaçla yapılan tedaviler hakkında da bilgiler veren kitap, sahip olduğu zengin içeriği ile eşsiz bir kaynaktır.
Anormal Psikoloji kitabının; profesyoneller ve öğrenciler için önemli bir rehber olacağına, yardıma ihtiyaç duyan insanların sorunlarının çözümüne, ruhsal bozuklukların tanı ve tedavisinde önemli katkılar sağlayacağına inanıyoruz.

This quantitative survey described the occurring scenario among higher educational institutions having amalgamation as one of the strategies in rationalizing the Philippine higher education. The study dealt with the perceptions, issues, and perceived challenges of 90 administrators and 260 instructors/professors concerning amalgamation in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) among the selected state universities and colleges in Region IV-A (CALABARZON) during the Academic Year 2017-2018. A researcher-constructed questionnaire served to gather the data. Weighted mean and t-test for independent means were employed to determine the differences on the perceptions of the respondents at 0.05 level of significance. Results indicated that the administrator-respondents were more aware of the idea of amalgamation than the instructor/professor-respondents. The respondents agreed in most of the items about amalgamation of HEI along access and equity, efficiency and effectiveness, relevance and responsiveness, utilization of resources, and quality and excellence. As to the issues on amalgamation, the administrators comparably perceived serious issues on amalgamation practices that needed urgent action such as delivery of projected student number, plans to meet financial and strategic goals, blueprint for the merged entity, governance and organization structure during the pre-merger phase, governance and organization structure during the transitional phase, quality assurance, and employees' rights. A significant difference was found between the perception of the administrator-and instructor/professor-respondents towards the issues on amalgamation practices in terms of access and equity, efficiency and effectiveness, utilization of resources, quality and excellence, and blueprint of the merged entity.

The paper reports on the relationship between a group of pre-service mathematics teachers’ working memory and number sense. South Africa’s murky performance in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) since 1995 instigated several interrogative reports. It was found that teachers’ number sense influence their pedagogies and thus also learner achievement. Furthermore, too many teachers cannot teach quantities and how they feature in our lives properly. A number sense is an intuitive understanding of numbers, their magnitude and interrelationships and arithmetic ability is a good indicator of number sense. A variable reported to relate to number sense, is working memory capacity. The 42 third year student-teachers wrote weekly mental arithmetic tests aimed at strengthening their number sense. Their working memory capacity was measured by the Working Memory Index of Wechsler’s Adult Intelligence Scale. A linear regression ascertained that working memory capacit...

We undertake a detailed analysis of a sample of over 10,000 utterances from 18 speakers in a corpus of Bequia English and apply constrained cluster analysis to discern patterns that identify the linguistic signatures for different villages and to see how individuals pattern in relation to the rest of their village. The analysis of multiple variables provides a richer picture of both group and individual than any one variable does and holds promise for better understanding the mysterious mechanisms by which variation between individuals scales up to variation between groups.

Desde que se iniciaron los estudios cliométricos, el interés por encontrar fórmulas y modelos que nos ayuden a entender la historia, particularmente la historia económica y social, han atraído la atención de muchos investigadores. Desde nuestra perspectiva, hemos prestado particular atención al estudio de datos concretos, pues nos hemos centrado en el estudio de las ánforas que contuvieron alimentos, sobre todo vino, aceite y conservas de pescado y su epigrafía y, a través de ellas, estudiar la dirección de los intercambios entre las diversas regiones del imperio romano y el papel que el estado jugó en dichas relaciones, en última instancia, la relación entre política y economía. En las últimas décadas, en relación directa con el progreso de los estudios sobre tipologías cerámicas, se ha avanzado notablemente en el desarrollo de los procedimientos de cuantificación. Este interés se integra en una preocupación más amplia por la cultura material romana, en particular las vajillas y los contenedores de alimentos, como instrumento para profundizar en el conocimiento de las formas de producción, distribución y consumo de productos manufacturados y de alimentos líquidos o semilíquidos que tuvieron gran importancia en la dieta romana. Así mismo, y gracias a un mejor conocimiento arqueológico de ciertas regiones del Mediterráneo, la cuantificación se ha convertido en una herramienta fundamental en la construcción de modelos explicativos sobre la producción agrícola y artesanal, y sobre las estructuras de distribución y consumo. El objetivo último es mejorar el conocimiento de la organización y dinámicas de la economía romana y proponer, en consecuencia, un marco interpretativo para definir la naturaleza de la misma.

The paper has developed an ARMA (1,0)-ARCH (2) with non-normal errors for the saving rate of Lesotho for the period of January 1992 to July 2015. Firstly the ARMA model was proposed with the aim of capturing the linear effects and then incorporating the ARCH model for capturing the nonlinearity effects of the saving rating in Lesotho. The paper has also revealed that periods of high volatility had been followed by the periods of low volatility through the Bai-Perron multiple structural break test. The KSS nonlinearity unit root test has also revealed that there is nonlinear unit root in the saving rate. Moreover, the model also indicated that since 1992, the saving rate of Lesotho has been declining at the rate of 97% monthly. In addition, the study has revealed that the saving rate in Lesotho had been affected by the 2007-2010 US financial crisis.

It is increasingly accepted that academic literacies form an integral part of undergraduate learning, yet the field is dominated by qualitative research and too little attention has been paid to the postgraduate level. This paper contributes a quantitative analysis of students at the postgraduate research level. The survey investigated forty-eight postgraduate research studentsA¢â‚¬â„¢ academic literacies beliefs and researcher identity. The quantitative method employed here proved to be effective. Further, research studentsA¢â‚¬â„¢ researcher identity and academic literacies beliefs appeared to be related. This study validates the use of quantitative instruments in academic literacies research. It is therefore suggested that similar quantitative instruments may prove valuable in future research.

Barefoot running describes when individuals run without footwear. Minimalist running utilizes shoes aimed to mimic being barefoot. Although these forms of running have become increasingly popular, we still know little about how recreational runners perceive them. In-depth interviews with eight recreational runners were used to gather information about their running experiences with a focus on barefoot and minimalist running. Interviews were analysed using a latent level thematic analysis to identify and interpret themes within the data. Although participants considered barefoot running to be ‘natural’, they also considered it to be extreme. Minimalist running did not produce such aversive reactions. ‘Support’ reassured against concerns and was seen as central in protecting vulnerable body parts and reducing impact forces, but lacked a common or clear definition. A preference for practical over academic knowledge was found. Anecdotal information was generally trusted, as were running stores with gait assessment, but not health professionals. People often have inconsistent ideas about barefoot and minimalist running, which are often formed by potentially biased sources, which may lead people to make poor decisions about barefoot and minimalist running. It is important to provide high-quality information to enable better decisions to be made about barefoot and minimalist running. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? There is no known work on the psychology behind barefoot and minimalist running. We believe our study is the first qualitative study to have investigated views of this increasingly popular form of running. What does this study add? The results suggest that although barefoot running is considered ‘natural’, it is also considered ‘extreme’. Minimalist running, however, did not receive such aversive reactions. ‘Support’ was a common concern among runners. Although ‘support’ reassured against concerns and was seen as central in protecting vulnerable body parts and reducing impact forces, it lacked a common or clear definition. A preference for practical over academic knowledge was found. Anecdotal information was generally trusted, as were running stores with gait assessment, but not health professionals. What is already known on this subject? There is no known work on the psychology behind barefoot and minimalist running. We believe our study is the first qualitative study to have investigated views of this increasingly popular form of running. What does this study add? The results suggest that although barefoot running is considered ‘natural’, it is also considered ‘extreme’. Minimalist running, however, did not receive such aversive reactions. ‘Support’ was a common concern among runners. Although ‘support’ reassured against concerns and was seen as central in protecting vulnerable body parts and reducing impact forces, it lacked a common or clear definition. A preference for practical over academic knowledge was found. Anecdotal information was generally trusted, as were running stores with gait assessment, but not health professionals.

"On the difference between significant and non-significant effects. Note: link to R and Excel resources for comparing correlations: http://seriousstats.wordpress.com/2012/02/05/comparing-correlations/"

This experimental study investigates the effects of using creative writing activities on 7th grade students’ achievement in writing skill, writing dispositions and their attitude to English. One group pre and post test design was used in the study. The study was conducted during four weeks in 2012- 2013 academic year in an elementary school in the city centre of Denizli, Turkey. The study group was consisted of 17 female and 14 males in total 31 seventh grade students. When pre and post test results were compared it was found that students’ achievement in writing skill was increased after the experiment. Students’ writing disposition was also increased when compared to their levels before the experiment. However, students’ attitude to English course was not increased after the experiment. Results indicate that using creative writing exercises has a positive effect on writing achievement and writing disposition in 7th grade English language classes in elementary schools. Keywords: cr...

This experimental study investigates the effects of using creative writing activities on 7th grade students’ achievement in writing skill, writing dispositions and their attitude to English. One group pre and post test design was used in the study. The study was conducted during four weeks in 2012- 2013 academic year in an elementary school in the city centre of Denizli, Turkey. The study group was consisted of 17 female and 14 males in total 31 seventh grade students. When pre and post test results were compared it was found that students’ achievement in writing skill was increased after the experiment. Students’ writing disposition was also increased when compared to their levels before the experiment. However, students’ attitude to English course was not increased after the experiment. Results indicate that using creative writing exercises has a positive effect on writing achievement and writing disposition in 7th grade English language classes in elementary schools. Keywords: cr...

Introduction Anaerobic power is power used in high-intensity bouts of exercise lasting fewer than ten seconds; which is the peak amount of time for phosphocreatine reserves to empty as a primary fuel source. It is expressed in terms of watts of force per kilogram of bodyweight. Power is considered a crucial component in overall athleticism. Ample power tends to be a key difference maker in short-terms bouts of fast twitch, Type I myo-fiber, events. For example, athletic events, or competitions which call for optimal power output, are weight lifting, sprinting, jumping and wrestling, although may other team sports and individual sports and competitions also have high anaerobic power output demands. Anaerobic power can be measured and improved. The three physical assessments in this study are commonly used to measure power. Each has been researched and normative and standards have been established for force production by their use. They are the Vertec vertical jump, Force plate and Wi...

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects residual forces have on the predicted ground reaction forces (GRF), specifically the zero-moment point (ZMP) location, of a simulation. Additionally, we will propose a computational framework for establishing residual force thresholds for acceptable or reasonable simulations of human and animal movement.

The paper discusses analytical applications of the business model canvas (BMC) formulated by Osterwalder & Pigneur [1]. From this model, a methodological tool was devised and used as part of an academic research project, in which the categories (blocks) of the BMC were taken as conceptual categories and further processed through a failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). The specifics of reversing the business model canvas are examined, since the model was conceived for entrepreneurs and not strictly for the analysis of pre-existing companies. The application of the tool was done within the multidisciplinary mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative) project 'Business dynamics of the audiovisual industry in Bogota', which was carried out from October 2017 to May 2019 at Manuela Beltran University in Bogota, Colombia. The methodological tool was applied to 32 key companies and four institutions of the local audiovisual industry through semi-structured interviews with people in managerial positions. The nine blocks of the BMC were conceptually developed to analyse the empirical data, holding them as internal variables. The assessment of the variables revealed opportunities for the growth and development of the companies and the whole industry, as well as patterns for the existing business models of the companies.

Data collection for research projects often requires a team of data collectors or enumerators. Large-scale surveys at household or community levels, and qualitative research with large numbers of enumerators, require well trained and supported enumerators to achieve the best quality data.

This Oxfam Research Guideline outlines how to recruit, train and work with enumerators. Enumerators are typically asked to administer survey questionnaires or collect information using digital or paper collection modes that are designed to capture information around a research or evaluation question. It is essential that they are well managed and trained: this guide explains key elements of the process and gives links to useful resources.

Originally published in the Keesing Journal of Documents & Identity Issue #49.

Since time immemorial, cash has determined our social and economic life, with all its related risks and problems, such as enabling crime. Apart from the perpetual counterfeiting of money, which concerns nearly every country and currency system nowadays, bank robberies and other money
thefts are another problem which we still haven’t been able to solve. The innovation that represents a security system based on artificial intelligence (AI) was developed in order to not only circumvent all security-relevant complications of contemporary cash, but to systematically solve them.

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