Descriptive statistics in data analysis

This chapter discusses the ‘what’, the ‘why’ and the ‘how’ of descriptive statistics for data analysis in applied linguistics. It defines descriptive statistics, outlines the most common descriptive measures and, with examples from published peer-reviewed journal articles in the field, discusses their strengths and limitations with regard to univariate analysis of different types of data and different levels of measurement. Issues of normality of distribution and the relationships between descriptive and inferential statistics are explored. Options for presenting descriptive statistics are detailed, including recommendations for creative visuals to summarise applied linguistics data. As such, this chapter offers both theoretical and practical guidance on the use of descriptive statistics to those engaged in evaluating and carrying out data analysis in applied linguistics research.