Key To Generating A Bell Curve

Analyzing And Interpreting Results: Key Points

  1. What Is Key To Generating A Bell Curve
  2. What Is The Key To Generating A Bell Curve
  3. Key To Generating A Bell Curve
  4. What Is Key To Generating A Bell Curve
  5. Bell Curve Calculator

Evaluation data can provide information on individual participants and also on the class, or classes, in general. For most purposes, your quantitative data analysis will center on describing characteristics of the population.

Apr 07, 2013  n. In statistics, refers to the classic curve obtained from plotting the graph of a normal distribution.This curve is characterized by a large, rounded peak above, which tapers off on both sides below, thus, resembling a bell. Also called bell-shaped curve. An online bell curve calculator to generate a normal distribution curve and its value. Enter the mean, standard deviation and select whether left tailed or right tailed or two tailed in this normal distribution curve generator to get the result.

Click on a topic below to review key learning points:

The Normal Curve

In data analysis and interpretation, it is important to understand the normal curve. As illustrated below, the normal curve is bell-shaped. The normal curve represents the normal frequency distributions for such things as height, weight, and intelligence quotient. The normal curve helps determine probabilities (chances) for various sample results when the characteristics (behaviors) being measured should be normally distributed. A normal distribution is required in order to accurately use certain advanced statistical analyses.

Measures of Central Tendency

Measures of central tendency are one type of descriptive statistics. Measures of central tendency reveal how data are grouped. They include the mean, the median, and the mode.

  • The mean is the arithmetic average of a distribution of scores. It usually varies less from sample to sample when drawn from the same population. The mean is useful for spotting trends in the data because you can compare means over a time period to spot trends. The mean is the most common measure of central tendency.
  • The median divides a sample of data in half; it is the middle score. The median is a useful statistic if you think your data have some extreme cases. The median is not impacted by extreme cases, but the mean is.
  • The mode is the most frequent score in a group of scores. When reporting reaction evaluation data, the mode is a useful way of reporting the most frequent rating.

Measures of Dispersion

Measures of dispersion are another type of descriptive statistic. Commonly used measures of dispersion include frequency distribution, range, and standard deviation.

  • A frequency distribution is defined as an arrangement of numbers that shows the number of times a given score occurs. You can graphically represent frequencies using histograms and frequency polygons.
  • The range is the simplest measure of dispersion. It is defined as the highest score minus the lowest score + 1. The range is used to describe the limits of a sample of data.
  • The standard deviation tells you if the majority of the scores fall close to the mean value or are widely dispersed. When the standard deviation is large, the mean score is not a good descriptor of all respondents. If the standard deviation is small, most scores are close to the value of the mean and the mean is a good representation of the typical respondent.

Item Analysis

Item difficulty measures the proportion of the course participants who correctly answered each test item. Item analysis answers questions such as the following:

  • Was the level of difficulty appropriate?
  • Did most of the participants understand the question?
  • Was the item well constructed?
  • Was each distracter in the multiple-choice questions effective?

Item difficulty measures help you:

  • Identify questions that everyone got right or got wrong. You want to analyze those items to ensure that they are valid and reliable.
  • Pinpoint areas participants found difficult. Missed items may be an indicator that participants did not understand the material. Finding that certain items were missed by many participants could have implications for instruction such as: Why were some items difficult? Had the work been covered? Had the information been taught adequately? Answering these questions is an important part of the formative evaluation process.

What Is Key To Generating A Bell Curve

Interpreting the Data

The key elements related to the interpretation of the data are summarization and making sense of the data. One way to synthesize and interpret data is through visual tools that display the data in a meaningful manner. You can use such tools as charts (e.g., pie, bar, line), tables, checklists, matrices, flowcharts, and historical time lines to display the data.

What Is The Key To Generating A Bell Curve

Interpreting the data involves making judgments based on information compiled during the tabulation and analysis of the data. The results of your analysis and the judgments you make will influence the conclusions you draw and the recommendations you make.

Interpretation of data is:

Key To Generating A Bell Curve

  • A challenging job because there are no 'hard and fast' rules that apply. Instead, your interpretation is based on experience and your ability to make sense of the data. If you are good at interpreting the data, your findings will probably have some merit. On the other hand, if you misinterpret the data, you will be operating from faulty conclusions. That is why it is important to collaborate with others in interpreting the data. It is better to get several viewpoints to make sure that everyone is 'seeing the same thing.'
  • Mostly a subjective process, even though it is grounded in careful quantitative and qualitative analysis. You decide what findings represent a pattern, an inefficiency, an emerging problem, a strength, a best practice, a barrier, or a weakness. Your creative insight will make the difference between a mediocre report and one that has potentially useful suggestions.

What Is Key To Generating A Bell Curve


n. in statistics, refers to the classic curve obtained from plotting the graph of a normal distribution. /daemon-tools-licence-key-generator.html. This curve is characterized by a large, rounded peak above, which tapers off on both sides below, thus, resembling a bell. Also called bell-shaped curve.

BELL CURVE: 'The bell curve is a statistical representation of what a normal distribution looks like.'

Related Psychology Terms

Bell Curve Calculator

Cite this page: N., Pam M.S., 'BELL CURVE,' in PsychologyDictionary.org, April 7, 2013, https://psychologydictionary.org/bell-curve/ (accessed April 16, 2020).