A241 SQQSK101 Elementary Statistics Group Assignment | UUM

PART A

A. General Instruction

Group Member: Each team should have four to five members, including one appointed leader. Every team member must actively contribute to the entire assignment. If the leader notices any lack of participation from any team member, promptly report it to the lecturer for appropriate action, which may include a deduction of marks.

Follow the Assignment Instructions in PART B. Please ensure that you follow the given instructions closely when working on your group assignment. Everyone in the group must understand and adhere to the guidelines to achieve the best possible outcome.

B. Assessment

This assignment contributes 40% of your overall marks. Your group will be evaluated using a marks scheme (32%) and rubrics (8%). Please refer to Appendix 1 for the rubrics.

C. Submission

1. Submission File: Excel File (Data & Analysis) and PDF file (Report)
2. Submission Platform: Upload the documents into UUM OL. The file names (Excel and PDF) should follow this format: Semester-Course Code-Group –Team. Example: A241-SQQSK1013-L–Team 1. Your lecturer will provide further instructions.
3. Submission Date: The deadline is divided into several stages as follows:

Part B

Read the following Case Study:

Title: Analysis of Sleeping Duration Patterns among Students

Sleep is a fundamental biological necessity in sustaining physical health, mental well-being, and cognitive function. For university students, however, maintaining regular sleep patterns can be particularly challenging due to the pressures of academic responsibilities, social commitments, and lifestyle habits. These factors often contribute to irregular sleep schedules and, in many cases, chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation among students is a growing concern, as it has been linked to a range of adverse outcomes, including impaired concentration, weakened memory, mood disturbances, and a decrease in overall academic performance.

This group assignment will investigate sleep deprivation among university students, examining how gender, social media status, and screen time habits influence sleep quality and quantity. Additionally, this assignment will identify key factors contributing to sleep deprivation and its effects, offering a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between these influences and sleep habits.

This case study led to the following research objectives:

• To describe the respondent profile.
• To discover the pattern of night sleeping duration among students.
• To examine reasons associated with sleep deprivation.
• To analyse the effect of sleep deprivation on students’ sleep quality and quantity.

Your group will conduct a study based on the research objectives. The instructions for performing the study are presented in stages: STAGE 1, STAGE 2, and STAGE 3.

The variables that will be studied in this assignment are the following:

• Gender
• Status as a social media user
• Average hours of sleep per night
• Average hours of screen time using handphone/tab a day
• Average minutes taken to fall asleep
• The main reason that causes sleep deprivation
• Physical symptoms of sleep deprivation
• Impact on academic performance
• Impact on mood

Stage 1: Data Collection

1. Each group member must complete the e-form via this link: A241 SQQSK1013 - GROUP ASSIGNMENT. The data collected is based on your demographic background, cause of sleep deprivation, and effect of sleep deprivation.

2. Generate 100 random numbers and use those numbers to select 100 respondents from the collected data in part (1). Perform the data cleaning or transformation if needed. Save your data in Ms. Excel. Name the file based on the following example:
Group L-Team 1.

Stage 2: Understanding the Data Set

1. What type of data resource is in this study? Justify your answer.
2. Select FOUR (4) variables and identify the type of variables(qualitative/quantitative) and their measurement scale.

3. What is the most suitable data collection method for this type of study? Provide TWO (2) advantages and justification.                                                                                                                                                                            

Stage 3: Data Analysis

The data analysis stage will be conducted based on the objectives outlined for this study. You can choose suitable variables and techniques to achieve the objective based on the following questions. Use MS Excel or any statistical software to perform the analysis. Please be reminded that the interpretations and conclusions must relate to the objective.

Objective 1: To describe the respondent profile

4. Describe the respondents’ background using a suitable table and graph.

Objective 2: To discover the pattern of sleeping duration among students.

5. Choose ONE (1) most appropriate quantitative variable in the study to present the students’ sleep patterns. Justify your answer.
6. a) Analyse the pattern of sleeping duration among students using  

• A suitable graph
• All central tendency measures
• THREE (3) dispersion measureme
• Calculate the skewness coefficient and describe the shape of the data distribution.
• What can you conclude about the pattern of sleeping duration among students?                                  

 b) Based on Question 5, generate a frequency distribution table. Use Sturges’ rule to identify the number of classes and find all central tendency measures based on the frequency table.

c) Which mean is more accurate, the mean obtained in Question 6(a)(ii) or the mean obtained in Question 6(b)? Justify your answer.
d) Based on the table in Question 6(b), construct a histogram and estimate the mode.
e) Compare your results in Question 6(a)(ii) and Question 6(d). Which mode is more accurate? Justify your answer.                                                  
7. a) Analyse the sleeping duration based on gender using boxplots.                    

b) Based on the shapes of the data distribution shown in Question 7(a), choose the most suitable measure of central tendency to summarize the sleeping duration data  . Justify your answer.                                                                            

c) By comparing the sleeping duration between females and males, what can you conclude?                                                                                     

Objective 3: To examine reasons associated with sleep deprivation

8. Sleep deprivation is commonly associated with academic workload, personal stress, use of electronic devices before bed, physical social activities, health issues, and consumption of caffeine or energy drinks.

a)  Construct a frequency table to describe the main reason that causes sleep deprivation.

b) Construct a suitable graph based on Question 8(a). 

c) Interpret the result.                                                                                               

d) Construct ONE (1) frequency table (crosstab) with a percentage and suitable graph of “The main reason that causes sleep deprivation” by “Social media status.              
e) Based on Question 8(d), explain the association between the two variables.    

f)  Choose TWO (2) quantitative variables that affect the sleeping duration pattern. Find the mean and standard deviation for the two chosen quantitative variables.                                                                                                                      

g)  Based on the results in Question 8(f), calculate the coefficient of variations. Compare and conclude the results.

Objective 4: To analyse the effect of sleep deprivation on students’ sleep quality and quantity.

9. Let’s say the average sleep duration of less than six (6) hours is categorised as not enough sleep; otherwise, it is enough sleep. 

a)  Categorise the average sleep duration data set into two categories: not enough sleep and enough sleep. Construct the frequency and percentage table. Interpret based on the percentage.

b)  Choose ONE (1) variable that relates to the effects of sleep deprivation.

c)  Analyse the categories of sleep pattern duration based on Question 9(a) related to the variable that you have chosen in Question 9(b) by:

i.  constructing a frequency table (crosstab),

ii.  Constructing a graph,

iii.  interpreting the results.

d)  Can your results be generalised to all UUM undergraduate students? Justify your answer.

Stage 3: Reporting

Prepare your report in MS Word.
Every Table and Figure must have proper numbering with proper font size, g. 12, and font style, e.g. Times New Roman, or as instructed by your lecturer.
How to write the report: Make your writing accessible by using precise language and writing that is easy to read and understand.
The front page of your report consists of:

• Team members’ names (sorted by matric number)
• Team’s number and name
• Lecturer’s name (e.g. DR NOR HISHAM HARUN)
                                  RUBRIC FOR STAGE 1 EVALUATION

  Criteria	1 = Poor	2 = Meet Minimum Requirement	3 = Good	4 = Excellent
  1. Survey Completion	Incomplete, missing responses to several questions.	The survey was completed with some minor errors or missing data in a few questions.	The survey was completed with all questions answered, but answers may lack attention to detail.	The survey was fully completed with all questions answered correctly and detailed responses.
  2. Random Number Generation	Did not generate random numbers or major mistakes in generating them.	Generated fewer than 100 random numbers or significant errors in the process.	Generated 100 random numbers with only minor issues in methodology.	Correctly generated exactly 100 random numbers with appropriate methodology (e.g., using statistical software or Excel functions).
  3. Respondent Selection	Did not select respondents or major errors in selection.	Selected respondents, but significant errors in matching the numbers with the database.	Selected the correct number of respondents (100) with a few minor mistakes.	Accurately selected 100 respondents using the generated random numbers without errors.
  4. Data Cleaning/   Transformation	Data cleaning/transformation was not done or was largely incorrect.	Attempted data cleaning/transformation but had several major issues or incomplete work.	Data cleaning/transformation completed with some errors or inconsistencies.