What is quantitative analysis?

Concept: It refers to the systematic empirical investigation of social

phenomena via statistical, mathematical or computational techniques.
Objective: To develop and employ mathematical models, theories and/or
hypotheses pertaining to phenomena.
Main idea: The process of measurement.
*measurement
Height/Length
Wealth
Educational inputs
Educational outputs: short-term/immediate outputs
Educational outcomes: long-term outputs

Basic concepts in probability theory

CPF: Cumulative Probability Function

PDF: Probability Density Function

Joint Probability is the likelihood of more than one event occurring at

the same time.

If event A and B are independent events, then the joint probability of A and
B is calculated by multiplying the probability of event A, expressed by P(A)
and the probability of event B, expressed by P(B)
Equation: P(A,B)=P(A)*P(B)

Conditional Probability

P(A|B) significance: B equals to information

If events A and B are independent (where event B has no effect on the
probability of event A), then P(A|B) = P(A)
Expectation
Conditional Expectation

Basic Statistics

Motivation of Statistics
Use
sample(known/available)
population(unknown/unavailable),so
decisions or predictions
Definitions

that

to
we

estimate
could make

Population
Sample: The sample is a small part/subset of the population
Parameters: Numerical measures of the population
Statistics: Numerical measures of a sample
Variable: things that we can measure, control, or manipulate in
research.
How to make statistical inference

1st Step: draw a sample from the population

2nd Step: analyze the sample and use the sample to estimate the

population
3rd Step: evaluate the estimation (whether the result is consistent with
the true value of the population)
About the Sample

To make sure that the results is not biased, the sample should be
representative (Having the same structure: percentage of each category)
sample of the population.
Errors

Sampling errors and biasbias /systematic errors

Selection bias eg.

Random sampling error: Random variation in the results due to
the elements in the sample being selected at random
Non-sampling errors
Over-coverage
Under-coverage
Measurement Error
Processing Error
Non-response
How to describe the sample?
Central
Tendency
Dispersion

Shape
Association

Inference

Normal Distribution : Bell Curve

* outlier:

Confidence Interval
Lower Endpoint =
Upper Endpoint =
or

Statistical Significance(P-Value):P-value confidence

interval
Hypothesis Test
Null Hypothesis
Alternative Hypothesis
Type I Error: the rejection of a true null hypothesis
Type II Error: the failure to reject a false null hypothesis
Null Hypothesis is true
Null Hypothesis is false
Reject H0
Type I Error()
Fail to reject H0
Type II Error()
Estimate the probability of Type I Error and Type II Error
How can we avoid Type I and Type II error?
Statistical power