Principles of Data Science – Data Analysis Portfolio
This portfolio assignment for the Principles of Data Science module at Coventry University requires students to analyse the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2025 dataset using statistical and data science techniques in R. The dataset ranks 60 countries according to life-work balance using factors including statutory annual leave, paid maternity leave, sick leave, healthcare, public safety, public happiness, LGBTQ inclusivity and average working hours per employee. The assignment has a 2,000-word equivalent limit, excluding the reference list and output. The portfolio consists of two main tasks. Task 1 is a group task involving multivariate data analysis. Students must use R to perform Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Cluster Analysis on the dataset. For PCA, students analyse quantitative variables, produce and interpret relevant visualisations such as screeplots, biplots and loadings plots, and investigate the effects of Region and Healthcare System. The PCA analysis also requires comparison of the overall dataset with countries from Europe. The cluster analysis component requires students to cluster both countries and variables using different distance metrics and hierarchical clustering methods. Students compare methods such as Manhattan and Euclidean distances and single linkage and Ward’s method, present comparisons in compact tables, and interpret relevant dendrograms. They must then compare the conclusions obtained from PCA and Cluster Analysis, identifying common insights and apparent conflicts and discussing the extent to which the results are explainable rather than simply interpretable. Task 2 is an individual task focusing on Exploratory Data Analysis and Linear Models. Students create a scatter matrix using ggpairs(), investigate strongly correlated variables, and identify quantitative variables that may help predict Region for European and Asian countries. They then develop and critically assess linear regression models for predicting Score, including models based on employment variables and broader quantitative predictors. Model comparison and selection use concepts including AIC, while diagnostic plots are used to identify countries requiring further investigation. The individual task also requires students to use European Life-Work Balance Index 2023 data to make predictions for European countries not included in the 2025 dataset and to construct a Residuals versus Fitted Values plot. Finally, students must combine the conclusions from their individual linear modelling work with the PCA and Cluster Analysis findings to identify specific discoveries about the variables and countries in the dataset. R code, output and relevant plots must be included directly within the reports. The assignment encourages use of the R tidyverse and requires appropriate referencing of sources. The brief specifies APA-style referencing for the individual and group work. It also states that generative AI may be used for inspiration but not for generating answers or analysing the datasets, and any permitted AI use must be acknowledged and documented.
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