IOP2601
Assignment 2 Semester 1 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: 31 March 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
1.1
First Three Steps of the Research Process
1. Identify the Problem: This is where you decide what question you want to
answer or what issue needs solving. Example: A researcher might want to
understand why learners in a certain school perform poorly in maths.
2. Design the Study: You plan how the research will be done—who will be
involved, when, and how. Example: Deciding to survey 100 Grade 10
learners and 10 teachers using questionnaires.
3. Collect Data: You gather the information needed to answer the research
question using tools like interviews, surveys, or observations. Example:
Distributing and collecting completed questionnaires from the participants.
1.2
Descriptive vs Inferential Statistics:
Descriptive statistics summarise or describe a set of data. Example:
Calculating the average test score in a class.
Inferential statistics use a sample to make predictions or generalisations
about a larger population. Example: Using the performance of 100
students to estimate how all Grade 10 students in the country are doing.
1.3
Mean, Median, and Mode – Differences/Similarities:
Mean is the average (sum of values ÷ number of values).
Median is the middle number in a sorted list.
Mode is the most frequently occurring value.
Similarity: All three are measures of central tendency — they describe the center
of a data set.
Difference: They may give different values, especially in skewed data sets.
Varsity Cube 2024 +27 81 278 3372
Assignment 2 Semester 1 2025
Unique #:
Due Date: 31 March 2025
Detailed solutions, explanations, workings
and references.
+27 81 278 3372
, QUESTION 1
1.1
First Three Steps of the Research Process
1. Identify the Problem: This is where you decide what question you want to
answer or what issue needs solving. Example: A researcher might want to
understand why learners in a certain school perform poorly in maths.
2. Design the Study: You plan how the research will be done—who will be
involved, when, and how. Example: Deciding to survey 100 Grade 10
learners and 10 teachers using questionnaires.
3. Collect Data: You gather the information needed to answer the research
question using tools like interviews, surveys, or observations. Example:
Distributing and collecting completed questionnaires from the participants.
1.2
Descriptive vs Inferential Statistics:
Descriptive statistics summarise or describe a set of data. Example:
Calculating the average test score in a class.
Inferential statistics use a sample to make predictions or generalisations
about a larger population. Example: Using the performance of 100
students to estimate how all Grade 10 students in the country are doing.
1.3
Mean, Median, and Mode – Differences/Similarities:
Mean is the average (sum of values ÷ number of values).
Median is the middle number in a sorted list.
Mode is the most frequently occurring value.
Similarity: All three are measures of central tendency — they describe the center
of a data set.
Difference: They may give different values, especially in skewed data sets.
Varsity Cube 2024 +27 81 278 3372
