This application transforms alphabetic scores to numerical scores in data provided by the user.
The data may be supplied as alphabetic scores or a mixture of numerical and alphabetic scores which are the responses of several individuals (refererred to as persons on this page) to several questions (referred to as items on this page.
Alphabetic scores will be converted to numerical scores as described below.
Options are offered for handling missing responses, also described below.
INSTALLING AND RUNNING THE APPLICATION AlphabeticToNumeric
See also Scores class, the class underpinning this application, for a more detailed description of the methods called by this application.
INSTALLING AlphabeticToNumeric
The Java Development Kit Platform 6 or 7 must be installed on your computer or network.
This application creates an instance of, and calls methods from, the Scores class facilitating an easily performed alphabetic to numerical score conversion. The Scores class is part of the Michael Thomas Flanagan Library. The Michael Thomas Flanagan Library file, flanagan.jar, must be downloaded and installed in the appropriate directory (see Michael Thomas Flanagan Library Main Page).
Download the source file AlphabeticToNumeric.java into an appropriate folder.
Compile AlphabeticToNumeric, e.g on PC with a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System:
Open up the Command Prompt Window
Change to the directory in which you have stored AlphabeticToNumeric.java, e.g. type cd c:\ScoreAnalyses where ScoresAnalyses is the name of that folder on the C drive.
Compile, i.e. type javac AlphabeticToNumeric.java followed by a return
PREPARING THE DATA FILE
Prepare the input data file. The data file may be stored in any directory. It is not necessary to store it in the same directory as AlphabeticToNumeric but such storage may be convenient.
The data file must be a text file of the one of the eight formats described in the Scores documentation under ENTER DATA.
There are four alternative formats for entering the data as rows of responses to each item by each person and four alternative formats for entering the data as rows of responses by each person for each item.
Links to example data files may be found at the end of the docuentation for each format. Two example data files are also discussed on this page under Example Programs.
RESPONSE REPRESENTATION
The possible response representations and options for representing mssing responses for each of the eight file formats is discussed under each file format discussed in the Scores documentation web page under ENTER DATA.
Links to example data files may be found at the end of the docuentation for each format. Two example data files, with and without missing responses, are also discussed on this page under Example Programs.
RUNNING AlphabeticToNumeric
Run AlphabeticToNumeric, e.g on PC with a Microsoft Operating System:
Open up the Command Prompt Window
Change to the directory in which you have stored AlphabeticToNumeric.java, e.g. type cd c:\ScoresAnalyses where ScoresAnalysis is the name of that folder on the C drive.
Run, i.e. type java AlphabeticToNumeric followed by a return
A series of information or dialogue boxes will then appear sequentially. All you need to do is respond`to each box in turn. Pressing the ‘enter’ key will close the box selecting the default option, i.e. the button with the bold outline or the value or text in the text box.
Box one: Information box
The first box is an information message identifying the Program that you have initiated. Click on the OK button when you have read the message.
Box two: Declaring the data as dichotomous
The second box is a dialogue box asking whether the data is to be declared as dichotomous.
Click on the appropriate Yes or No button
Box two: Identifying data format
The second box is a dialogue box asking whether the data in the input file is organised as
scores entered as item responses by an individual person, entered as a row (Format A)
scores entered as item responses by an individual person, entered as a row (Format B)
scores entered as item responses by an individual person, entered as a row (Format C)
scores entered as item responses by an individual person, entered as a row (Format D)
scores entered as responses to an individual item by the persons responding, entered as a row (Format A)
scores entered as responses to an individual item by the persons responding, entered as a row (Format B)
scores entered as responses to an individual item by the persons responding, entered as a row (Format C)
scores entered as responses to an individual item by the persons responding, entered as a row (Format D)
Click on the appropriate button
Box four: Missing responses: replacement option
This dialogue box requests you to select an option for dealing with missing responses. The options are:
1. the missing response is replaced by zero
2. the missing response is replaced by the mean of that person's respones
3. the missing response is replaced by the mean of the responses to that item. This is the default option
4. the missing response is replaced by the overall mean
5. the missing response is replaced by a user supplied score for each missing response. A value will be requested, via a dialogue box, each time a missing response is encounterd as the data is processed
Click on the appropriate button
See also Box five and box six
Box five: Missing responses: person deletion options
This input box requests you enter the person deletion percentage (pdpc), i.e. the percentage of missing responses in an individual person's responses that is tolerated. If that person has a greater percentage of missing responses that person will be deleted from the analysis, e.g.
A value of 0.0 will lead to a person being deleted on missing a single response.
A value of 50.0 will lead to a person being deleted on missing more than 50% of the response.
A value of 100.0 will ensure that a person is only deleted if that person fails to make any responses.
See also box four and box six
Box six: Missing responses: item deletion options
This input box requests you enter the item deletion percentage (idpc), i.e. the percentage of missing responses to an individual item that is tolerated. If that item has a greater percentage of missing responses that item will be deleted from the analysis, e.g.
A value of 0.0 will lead to an item being deleted on one person missing a response to that item.
A value of 50.0 will lead to an item being deleted on more than 50% of individual persons failing to respond to that item.
A value of 100.0 will ensure that an item is only deleted if no persons respond to that item.
See also box four and box five
Box seven: Selection of the input data file
This file slection window allows you to select the data file you wish to analyse.
This window opens displaying the contents of the current directory, i.e. the directory in which you have stored AlphabeticToNumeric.java, but you can use this window to browse any directory on your computer if you have not stored your data files in the current directory.
Box eight: Selection of the output file type
This dialogue box requests you to select the type of output file that you require. The options are:
Text File (.txt)
Excel Readable File (.xls)
This file can be read by Microsoft Excel as if it were an Excel file. Excel will nonetheless ask you to confirm that you do wish Excel to read this file.
The output file contains the following:
the entered title
the number of items
the number of persons
the item names
the responses. These will be written using the same (row per item)/(row per person) format used in the input of original data
Box nine: Request for the output file name
This input box requests you to enter the name of output file. The default name is the name of the input file with Processed added as a suffix, e.g. an input file named ScoresDataOne.txt gives a default name for the output file as ScoresProcessed.txt.
Box ten: Request for the data ordering option in the output file.
This input box informs you of the data format that you used on entering the data and offers the choice of either data format for the output file:
rows of scores for each person
rows of scores for each item
i.e. this option box allows you to switch data formats when outputting the data.
Box eleven: Information box
This information box gives the names of the output file. Clicking on the OK button ends the program.
The output file is created in the directory in which you compiled AlphabeticToNumeric unless you included an alternative path in a supplied output file name.
EXAMPLE PROGRAMS
No Missing Responses Example Program Data File [Format A]
This example illustrates data entered as Format A of the four options of entering data as rows of responses to each item by each person.
The example data file has the following lines:
a title [Scores Example Data One]
responses to 7 items [7]
responses from 23 individuals [23]
a row of the item names, simply called item1 ...., in this example
23 rows of the person name followed by the responses of that person to the 7 items
The responses to item1 are within an integer range 30 to 45 inclusive
The responses to item2 are within an integer range 1 to 5 inclusive
The responses to item3 are true or false
The responses to item4 are A, B, C, D or E
The responses to item5 are either 1 or 2
The responses to item6 are either yes or no
The responses to item7 are within a floating point range -2.6 to 8.3 inclusive
Example Program Output File
The output file, produced on running the AlphabeticToNumeric application with the above input data,ScoresDataOne.txt, may be accessed through ScoresDataOneAProcessed.txt
With Missing Responses
The data file ScoresDataTwoA.txt contains missing data indicated by the word abs or the word missing.
The output file, produced on running the AlphabeticToNumeric application with the input data, ScoresDataTwo.txt, and with:
the missing response replacement option: replace a missing data point by the item mean