One of the standout features of Q is its ability to automatically group variables into questions and identify the question type. This works best when you have standard labels and an SPSS (.sav) file, which includes the metadata for each question. However, sometimes you don’t have the best labels (or even a .sav file for that matter) and need to manually group bits of your data.
Before we get started, it’s important to be familiar with the different Question Types used in Q. There is a great explanation along with a training video and modules on our wiki.
The two key things to keep in mind with grouping together variables into questions are:
- Order – the order in which options appear for each attribute. You can drag and drop rows on the Variables and Questions tab line them up correctly.
- Labels – the labels of the questions must include both the final row and column names (Note: these are also case-sensitive). I’ve found it yields the best results to separate them using spaces and a special character like “–”or “:”. Q makes it easy to edit labels by changing them directly on the Variables and Questions tab, using Search/Replace (yep, with wildcards!) or by copying/pasting using Excel.
Load the data
For my example, I will use the following CSV file.
To load the data into Q:
- Download the file to your computer.
- In Q, go to File > Data Sets > Add to Project > From File, select the file, and click Open.
- Click OK again to have Q automatically try to group together your questions.
- Since we read in a CSV file, there are a lot of hidden copies of our original text variables on the Variables and Questions tab. To tidy this up and send those to the bottom, go to Automate > Browse Online Library > Move Data > Move All Hidden Questions to the Bottom.
Review the data
Let’s go to the Variables and Questions tab and inspect our Brand Attitude data (shown below). You can see the brand attitude question looking at attitudes and colas is broken into several questions.
A few things to note:
- Feminine is its own Pick Any question (in yellow)
- Health-conscious is broken into multiple Pick One questions, where the colas are out of order and labels are swapped (in blue)
- The rest of the attitudes are grouped into one Pick One – Multi question (in green)
Standardize the labels and order
Let’s clean up the data so we can group it together into a Pick Any – Grid.
- Highlight all rows of the feminine question, then right-click and select Revert to Source. This will break apart the question and show you the original labels.
- Manually change the labels for the health-conscious rows to look like the feminine You can also highlight the labels, copy (Ctrl + C), and paste (Ctrl + V) into Excel to modify using a formula. You can then paste back into Q.To copy:
In excel:
Back into Q:
- Drag and drop the rows on the Variables and Questions tab to make sure the options are in the same order for each set of attitudes. Reorder feminine so that None of these is at the bottom of the list of feminine options, and reorder health-conscious so that co*ke comes first.
Now all your labels should look similar:
Combine the questions
Now that our labels are ordered and standardized, let’s combine them into a Pick Any – Grid question.
- On the Variables and Questions tab, highlight all rows of the brand attitude data.
- Right-click and select Set Question.
- Give the new question a Name like “Brand Attitude” and set the Question Type to Pick Any – Grid. Click OK.
- You will see a box alerting you that Q has automatically detected how to split the variable labels into row and column labels. Click OK.
- The Grid Layout screen that pops up gives you a preview of the row and column names, and which label corresponds to which cross-section. You may need to play with the Layout dropdown to get your grid to appear closer to what you need. Click OK.
- In the values window that pops up, make sure you check Missing Data for any values that suggest that the respondent hasn’t seen or answered the question. Check Count This Value (CHECK) for any response that you want to count as an affirmative response in your grid. In this example, “Yes” will be checked to Count and “No” will have no checks. Click OK.
Now you have created your own Pick Any –Grid!
FAQs
Combine the questions
How to combine questions in Q? ›
Q's Merge Questions function
The most helpful function in this case is called Merge Questions. To use it, you simply need to go into the Variables and Questions tab, highlight the questions you wish to merge, right-click and press Insert Ready-Made Formula(s) > Merge Questions. Q does the work for you!
How to make a grid question? ›
Create a "Grid" question
- Enter the question. First, write the student instructions for the question.
- Enter the answer option. Here, you enter the categories, the alternatives and mark the correct answers. ...
- Add marking rules. The marking rules govern the scoring for correct/incorrect answers.
Grid questions combine multiple related sub-questions, topics, or statements to encourage participants to focus on one topic or area at a time. The Matrix Grid question offers even more options, combining multiple question types like Drop Downs, Rating Scales, and Text Boxes.
How do you combine variables in Displayr? ›
Select the variables that should be grouped together in the Data Set. To merge them together, right-click them and select Combine and this will combine those variables into one Variable Set, or from the toolbar, you can click on Combine > and then choose the option relevant to what you want to do.
How do you merge data in Q? ›
To merge in new cases, where your existing data file is “File A” and the file with new cases is “File B,” take these steps: Open Q and load File A using File > Data Sets > Add to Project > From File. Go to Tools > Merge Data Files > Add New Cases… When prompted, click Browse for the Donor data file and select File B.
Are there spaces between Q&A? ›
The styling “Qs & As” (with spaces) implies “questions and answers.” For a question-and-answer session, however, we write “Q&A” (with no spaces) and “Q&As” for the plural.
What is the grid technique? ›
The grid method is a technique used in art that involves dividing an image into a series of smaller, more manageable sections using a grid. A grid is typically drawn over the reference image, and then students use the grid to draw the image on their own piece of paper, carefully replicating each section of the grid.
What is the grid method easy? ›
In a nutshell, the grid method involves drawing a grid over your reference photo, and then drawing a grid of equal ratio on your work surface (paper, canvas, wood panel, etc). Then you draw the image on your canvas, focusing on one square at a time, until the entire image has been transferred.
What is a grid-in question? ›
Grid-In Questions. The SAT grid-in question type is very similar to the familiar multiple-choice question except that you will now solve the problem and enter your answer by carefully marking the circles on a special grid. You will not be selecting from a group of possible answers.
As Jokin stated, you cannot combine two independent variables to create one independent variable. If it is theoretically related, you can create a latent variable of these two independents variables and use that latent score as one variable.
How do you combine two random variables? ›
Only combine random variables that are independent! The mean of the sum of two random variables is the sum of their means. In other words, if T = X + Y then. If you take the difference of two random variables, then the mean of the difference is the difference of their means.
When can you combine variables? ›
We can combine variances as long as it's reasonable to assume that the variables are independent. Here's a few important facts about combining variances: Make sure that the variables are independent or that it's reasonable to assume independence, before combining variances.
What is a grid in a survey? ›
A Grid Survey is a survey event. It is associated with a Grid Survey Framework and describes a period of time during which field crews will look for the plants in the area. It also contains the assignment of crews to particular cells.
What are the different types of grid questions? ›
Grid questions can include any of the standard question types (numeric, radio, check-box, combo-box, constant sum, ranking, or open-end), but Grid questions give you much greater power to format them in new ways and within a unified table.
What is the purpose of grid analysis? ›
Grid analysis is a useful technique for making decisions that involve multiple criteria. It helps you compare different options based on their scores for each factor.
What is a grid approach? ›
The Grid Method is an instructional framework that meets the needs of all learners in every classroom. Grids should be aligned with standards, tiered to meet student needs, and create cohesive and engaging learning experiences.
In excel:
Back into Q:
