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‘Textisms’ and literacy study Researchers wanted to explore the relationship between children’s knowledge of text message abbreviations and their standard of literacy - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 2 - 2022 - Paper 3
Question 2
‘Textisms’ and literacy study Researchers wanted to explore the relationship between children’s knowledge of text message abbreviations and their standard of litera... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:‘Textisms’ and literacy study Researchers wanted to explore the relationship between children’s knowledge of text message abbreviations and their standard of literacy - AQA - A-Level Psychology - Question 2 - 2022 - Paper 3
Step 1
Calculate the standard deviation for the vocabulary score using the data in Table 4.
Answer
To calculate the standard deviation, follow these steps:
-
Find the mean (average) of the vocabulary scores:
Mean = (100 + 87 + 85 + 92 + 91 + 107 + 101 + 96 + 114) / 9 = 100.0
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Calculate each score's deviation from the mean and square it:
- (100 - 100)^2 = 0.00
- (87 - 100)^2 = 169.00
- (85 - 100)^2 = 225.00
- (92 - 100)^2 = 64.00
- (91 - 100)^2 = 81.00
- (107 - 100)^2 = 49.00
- (101 - 100)^2 = 1.00
- (96 - 100)^2 = 16.00
- (114 - 100)^2 = 196.00
The squared differences are: 0, 169, 225, 64, 81, 49, 1, 16, 196
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Sum these squared differences:
Sum = 0 + 169 + 225 + 64 + 81 + 49 + 1 + 16 + 196 = 524
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Divide by the number of scores minus one (n-1):
Variance = 524 / (9 - 1) = 65.50
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Take the square root of the variance to find the standard deviation:
Standard Deviation = √65.50 ≈ 8.09
Thus, the standard deviation of the vocabulary scores is approximately 8.09.
Step 2
Explain one reason for using the standard deviation rather than the range as a measure of dispersion.
Answer
One reason for using the standard deviation is that it is more sensitive to all values in the dataset compared to the range. The standard deviation considers the distribution of all scores, whereas the range only looks at the difference between the highest and lowest values. As a result, the standard deviation can provide a more accurate reflection of the variability within the dataset, especially in cases where outliers are present.
Step 3
Explain one improvement that could be made to the ‘textisms’ and literacy study.
Answer
An improvement that could be made to the ‘textisms’ and literacy study is to measure the number of ‘textisms’ used in real texts rather than in made up scenarios. This would provide a more realistic measurement of how many ‘textisms’ each child uses in their everyday communication, thus enhancing the validity of the study’s findings.