Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Theory-driven evaluation (also theory-based evaluation) is an umbrella term for any approach to program evaluation that develops a theory of change and uses it to design, implement, analyze, and interpret findings from an evaluation. [1] [2] [3] More specifically, an evaluation is theory-driven if it: [4]
Tukey defined data analysis in 1961 as: "Procedures for analyzing data, techniques for interpreting the results of such procedures, ways of planning the gathering of data to make its analysis easier, more precise or more accurate, and all the machinery and results of (mathematical) statistics which apply to analyzing data."
Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on statistical modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. [4]
Hypothesis testing, though, is a dominant approach to data analysis in many fields of science. Extensions to the theory of hypothesis testing include the study of the power of tests, i.e. the probability of correctly rejecting the null hypothesis given that it is false.
Realist evaluation techniques recognise that there are many interwoven variables operative at different levels in society, thus this evaluation method suits complex social interventions, rather than traditional cause-effect, non-contextual methods of analysis. This realist technique acknowledges that intervention programmes and policy changes ...
Testing a hypothesis suggested by the data can very easily result in false positives (type I errors). If one looks long enough and in enough different places, eventually data can be found to support any hypothesis. Yet, these positive data do not by themselves constitute evidence that the hypothesis is correct. The negative test data that were ...
As statistics and data sets have become more complex, [a] [b] questions have arisen regarding the validity of models and the inferences drawn from them. There is a wide range of conflicting opinions on modelling. Models can be based on scientific theory or ad hoc data analysis, each employing different methods. Advocates exist for each approach ...
Hypothesis-driven studies can be transformed into discovery-driven studies with the help of newly available tools and technology-driven life science research. [5] These tools have allowed for new questions to be asked, and new paradigms to be considered, particularly in the field of biology. However, some of these required tools are limited in ...