Frequency Distribution

A frequency distribution is a tabular representation of a survey data set used to organize and summarize the data. Specifically, it is a list of either qualitative or quantitative values that a variable takes in a data set and the associated number of times each value occurs (frequencies).

The frequency distribution is the basic building block of statistical analytical methods and the first step in analyzing survey data. It helps researchers (a) organize and summarize the survey data in a tabular [Page 293]format, (b) interpret the data, and (c) detect outliers (extreme values) in the survey data set.

For example, the following are the scores of a group of 25 students on a final math exam: 83, 75, 95, 100, 83, 85, 85, 83, 98, 89, 84, ...