Quantitative/ Analysis
Chi-square tests
Test categorical counts against an expected pattern
Pearson chi-square procedures compare observed counts with expected counts under independence or a specified distribution. Tests of association use contingency tables; goodness-of-fit tests compare one categorical distribution with a target. Independent sampling and adequate expected counts underpin the usual approximation. Matched binary observations require a paired method such as McNemar’s test.
WHEN IT FITS
Use to examine association between categorical variables or fit to a prespecified distribution. Retain counts and denominators, and establish whether respondents, records or events are independent.
Strengths
- Works directly with categorical counts
- Accommodates tables larger than two by two
Limitations
- Sparse expected cells weaken the asymptotic approximation
- Significance does not convey association magnitude or direction
Know the boundary
The source’s word qualitative means categorical variables, not interpretive qualitative analysis.
USED ACROSS
Banking & financeBusiness & MBAPsychologyComputer scienceEducation