# Thread: Designing forumulas to test variable relationships

1. ## Designing forumulas to test variable relationships

All I need to do here is DESIGN formulas that would EFFECTIVELY measure relationships between my variables (I don't even have to do the math).

My research question is: What are the effects of being raised in a single parent household (independent variable) and the likelihood that an individual drops out of high school (dependent variable)?

My other independent variables are: Race, Family Income Level, and Educational Attainment of Parents.

I wasn't too clear on what my professor wanted, but he said it would be a REGRESSION ANALYSIS and he mentioned something about "X1, X2" being part of the formula. Again, I just have to state the specifics of how the formula would be designed...no math computation involved here.

Please, if you know regression analysis formulas that would work, or even just help me think through this, it would be sincerely appreciated.

2. Originally Posted by endlesst0m
All I need to do here is DESIGN formulas that would EFFECTIVELY measure relationships between my variables (I don't even have to do the math).

My research question is: What are the effects of being raised in a single parent household (independent variable) and the likelihood that an individual drops out of high school (dependent variable)?

My other independent variables are: Race, Family Income Level, and Educational Attainment of Parents.

I wasn't too clear on what my professor wanted, but he said it would be a REGRESSION ANALYSIS and he mentioned something about "X1, X2" being part of the formula. Again, I just have to state the specifics of how the formula would be designed...no math computation involved here.

Please, if you know regression analysis formulas that would work, or even just help me think through this, it would be sincerely appreciated.

First, you must collect your data. You can choose X for independent variable, for single parents, race, family income level, or educational attainment of parents. It seems to me you are to find equations for each of them.

Next choose Y for dependent variable; that is the high school drop outs.

Make table: First line for X, and the next line for Y. Plot the scatter diagrams and see what they would be, see whether it's a straight line or parabola, or higher degree polynomials.

Make another table for the variables you find in you normal equations. If it's a straight line, you will have two equations and two unknowns. If it's a parabola, you will have 3 x 3, etc.

Once you got the coefficient of regression, you can test the goodness of fit by computing the coefficient of correlation. If it's good, you can move the next stage. If not, continue till you get what you want.

The next stage is to do sample correlation and find the limits of 95% or 99% confidence limits.

If you want to make things interesting, you can test all you equations to find the dependency of variable; that's to find out the relationship of all your information using multiple correlation. When it's done, you will know whether race, income, unmarried parents contributes to the failure to complete high school, etc.

There is a lot of work, and a lot of formula involved that I cannot possible list them. You need to read and try out some examples before you apply all the above.

Perhaps, at the end of your research, you will find my prediction to be accurate. Here is my prediction: Those high school drop outs are just plain fools.

3. I do not need to do any computation. I just need to design the formulas that would get me the answers if I was actually doing the research myself. He wants me to do a "Regression analysis", and he mentioned something about "x1,x2 and so on". I wasn't too clear on what he meant because I'm struggling with this subject.

4. Originally Posted by endlesst0m
All I need to do here is DESIGN formulas that would EFFECTIVELY measure relationships between my variables (I don't even have to do the math).

My research question is: What are the effects of being raised in a single parent household (independent variable, X_2) and the likelihood that an individual drops out of high school (dependent variable,X_1)?

My other independent variables are: Race (X_3), Family Income Level (X_4), and Educational Attainment of Parents (X_5).

I wasn't too clear on what my professor wanted, but he said it would be a REGRESSION ANALYSIS means Analyze numbers obatined from computation of regression of X_1 on X_2, X_3, X_4, and X_5 and he mentioned something about "X1, X2" being part of the formula. Again, I just have to state the specifics of how the formula would be designed...no math computation involved here.

Please, if you know regression analysis formulas that would work, or even just help me think through this, it would be sincerely appreciated.
Regression equation: $X_1=\beta_{1.2345}+\beta_{12.345}X_2+\beta_{12.245 }X_3+\beta_{14.235}X_4+\beta_{15.234}X_5$