GUIRAL, Cris Reshon T. MAYO, Charlon B. PEREZ, Erica Kaye V. TUBIERON, Dovie Seth R.

(also referred as the group)

LESSONS, TECHNIQUES, AND STRATEGIES LEARNED

(The Victimization of Children and Youth: A Comprehensive, National Survey by Finkelhor, Ph.D. et al: A Critic)

At first, the group thought that criticizing a former study where statistics is implemented would be less difficult than creating a new one. But throughout the process of choosing the journal, attending meetings, brainstorming every statement acknowledged on the paper, writing the groups critic and presenting it to class, criticizing a statistical research is just as challenging. The group believes that it is not only our academic capabilities were tested here but also the sense of teamwork of and healthy contributions from every one of us. Every decision in the research process is crucial in the statistical analysis of data and in drawing conclusions. Instrument (questionnaire), methods of gathering data (type of interview), sampling scheme, and sampling method need to work with each other for a logical presentation of research results. Since the article was written by Ph. Ds and employed designs that are approved or specially designed for that specific purpose, there are no problems in analyzing the research data and results. What the group have observed is that the researchers in the study used simple statistical analysis such as proportions and averages to describe the results which is somehow easier to analyze and understand, and that designs used are made sure to conform to assumptions as to ensure reliability compared to the studies presented by other groups which are mostly undergraduate thesis or dissertations. The use of technological advancements and field specialization also helped in ensuring the effectivity, efficiency and reliability of the study as a whole. What the group realized is that in making a study, (1) we always have to establish a clear goal about what we want to know and never depart from it, and (2) we should always use simpler but more efficient, reliable and effective methods of gathering and analyzing data rather than complex but mixed-up processes to gain satisfying results. Moreover, we should always remember that

we do our study to acquire knowledge that we could share and this always precedes whatever the processes we use.

This requirement teaches us two different things that proved the real essence of group work. First, working as a group is the key to unlock the meaning of the journal article. And second, working on a uniform task can create relations and connections to each other. In other words, this requirement is a good opportunity to test and apply the different things we learned and gained from STAT 166. On the other hand, the research paper we used is a study about the victimization of children. In line with that the research depicts the other form of victimization in youth. The author used a variety of literature and some statistical analysis & design to discuss the severance and duration of victimization in the United States. After the presentation, the group realized that comprehensive understanding is necessary to decipher the type of statistical analysis used. In doing a research paper, using different statistical procedures is important to increase the reliability of the study. Statistics is invented to make a valid inference and profound analysis of the raw data. In fact, without statistics data are just a number with no substance. Statistics are offered to every student not to encumber them but to enrich their academic life. Furthermore, knowledge in statistics is applicable in different realm of life particularly in academic and industry. The group realized also that statistics is not just measuring and computing the data it is more than that. Through this academic subject we can make an extraordinary technique to summarize, analyze and present the data in a coherent manner. Like the researchers executed in their study, they used descriptive statistics such as percentage, proportion, mean, mode and others. We can contemplate that the power of technology made an easier way to collect the data. Some decisions in statistical analysis need to be carried out to produce a more representative/holistic analysis of the data. For example, in the journal article the group presented, post-stratification was employed to have a more comprehensive analysis of the results. In our opinion, patience and persistence are the elements of a triumphant research paper.