Descriptive
Essays

¶ … person usually wants to understand a specific subject better. For example, if a person desires to grasp why people behave the way they do, then he or she will observe their actions and draw conclusions during this…

"Nihilism" was the term used by Friederich Nietzsche to describe what he considered the devaluation of the highest values posited by the ascetic ideal. The age in which he lived was viewed by the German philosopher as…

¶ … commencement of data gathering and analysis, research needs a design which will ensure that the collected evidence will answer the original question as explicitly as possible. The collection of relevant evidence…

¶ … hear the word "statistics," the daily infographic on the cover of the U.S.A. Today comes to mind for many people. This is because they have an untrained concept of a tool with usefulness and predictive power that is…

The state of Wisconsin is called "America's Dairyland" because of all the milk and cheese that is produced in the state, but for many people Wisconsin is also a wonderland of fascinating, beautiful, and memorable places…

As pointed out by a poetry reviewer for the Harvard Review, the poetic style of Mary Oliver "is an excellent antidote for the excesses of civilization, for too much flurry and inattention and the baroque conventions of…

¶ … employed by a researcher can positively or negatively affect the outcome of research as well as perceived applicability or usefulness of a study. Thus it is vital that the researcher adopt a research methodology…

A researcher studies the average distance that 130 people living in U.S. urban areas walk each week.

Quantitative and qualitative research are rather different in the sense that they provide different perspectives of analysis: while quantitative research focuses on providing information that supports a pre-established theory, qualitative research gathers all type of information, from as many sources as possible and taking into account as many perspectives as necessary to ensure a holistic approach to the subject, and then elaborates a theory based on interpretation of information acquired and their establishment into a coherent background. Examples for both types of research will be provided to better illustrate the way in which the two can be utilized and their shortcomings and strengths. In this sense, for quantitative research, the case of Greece accession into the Eurozone is essential to point out the role statistics, as a crucial resource of information for quantitative research can be taken into account and if not considered properly, provide a different result that the real one. For qualitative research, the case of Sudan, as one of the largest countries in the world, is significant to point out that without a holistic research conducted on the issue, an interpretation can lead to mixed conclusions or theories, reason for which it is crucial to have as many information and knowledge as possible to avoid misinterpretation and thus limit the effects of subjective analysis and research.

Statistics are all around us. In fact it would be difficult to go through a full week without using statistics. Imagine watching a football game where no one kept score. The action itself might provide enough excitement to hold your attention for a while, but think of all the drama that would be lost if winning and losing weren't at issue. Imagine going to the grocery store and trying to find the best buy on a box of doggie treats for your dog, Fluffy. Without statistics this task would come down to simple guess work. You could never know for sure if that worthless mutt were getting the best (cheapest) treats for your dollar. Without statistics we couldn't plan our budgets, pay our taxes, enjoy games to their fullest, evaluate classroom performance... Are you beginning to get the picture? We need statistics. Let's take a look at the most basic form of statistics, known as descriptive statistics. This branch of statistics lays the foundation for all statistical knowledge (pretty important, huh?), but it is not something that you should learn simply so you can use it in the distant future. Descriptive statistics can be used NOW, in English class, in physics class, in history, at the football stadium, in the grocery store. You probably already know more about these statistics than you think. Continue to the next page.