Descriptive Statistics. Dearborn Park Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Descriptive Statistics. Dearborn Park - Essay Example While quantitative methods primarily apply systematic approaches that involve numerical data manipulation, qualitative techniques use a different approach which is largely ethnographic and involves description and explanation of findings (Beebe, 2012). Quantitative methods of data collection and analysis have been given greater weight in this study with descriptive statistics being allocated a central role in trying to analyze and explain the findings of the study. Sampling techniques used According to Beebe (2012), a statistical sample of any given population can be tested through quantitative techniques to provide answers to research questions or to test hypotheses. This study was carried out by sampling the population for the purpose of coming up with quality research findings covering a manageable area and population. Dearborn Park was used as a case study to determine the social and physical benefits of parks and recreation as well as important factors affecting them. For this r eason there was no sampling per se as the population of the park was considered as a whole. Basically this was made possible by the fact that the data for the park is available on the internet through various websites. All the other features and properties of the park that form part of the data collected were collected from the entirety of the park and thus no part thereof was sampled as a representative. Data collection and instruments used In this research, three main methods of data collection were applied; observation, telephony and search from the internet. Observation was carried out by the researcher visiting the area and recording all relevant information and data that could be observed with the help of park guides. The information collected through observation mainly included park activities, the general settings and environment of the settlement, demographic and other similar information; the researcher visited the park twice, once during the weekdays and once during the w eekend so as to get the contrast between those two periods in terms of residential activities. Telephony was applied when additional information was needed about the park both before the visit and after. The researcher basically called the park manager and asked any relevant questions related to the study. The researcher especially called the manager to get information about the size of playground, tennis court, open fields of the park. The final and most productive source of data for the study was the internet. Most of the quantitative data for the park was obtained from various websites dealing with recreational parks in the USA. Information about parks and their demographics was obtained from websites with park data, other specific information about issues related to the parks such as health and crime was obtained from websites dealing with the specific issues in relation to estates. Search Strategy For data to be gathered from websites, a good search strategy targeting the most relevant websites was required so as to get quality information. The search strategy included identification of the main key words related to the topic of study and Dearborn Park. Some of the main phrases used included ‘Dearborn Park LA’, ‘Dearborn Park statistic’, and ‘Dearborn Park LA characteristics’. Databases searched included OARE, EBSCO HOST and MEDLINE. Findings The tables below present the data findings of the study. Each of the tables presents