Is this a descriptive study or an inferential study. I say inferential......
The average professional musicians’ salaries (in thousands) in the United States, England and Germany were complied and compared for years 1997 and 2007.
Country 1997 2007
United States 1,200 2,256
England 952 3,562
Germany 450 953
To determine if this study is descriptive or inferential, we need to understand the difference between the two types of studies:
1. Descriptive Study: A descriptive study aims to describe characteristics or variables of a population or a sample without making any inferences or generalizations beyond the data collected. It provides a summary and analysis of the data but does not try to draw conclusions or make predictions.
2. Inferential Study: An inferential study looks to draw inferences or make predictions about a larger population based on a sample of data. It involves analyzing a sample and generalizing the results to the entire population. It uses statistical methods to make these inferences.
In this case, the study compares the average professional musicians' salaries in the United States, England, and Germany for the years 1997 and 2007. The researcher has collected specific data points for these countries and years.
Based on this information, we can conclude that this study is a descriptive study. It provides specific data on the average salaries of professional musicians in the given countries for the specified years. It does not attempt to make any inferences or predictions beyond the data provided.