Standard deviation indicates the variability of data—the degree to which SCP scores vary around the mean. A higher standard deviation means that there is high variability in the data. A lower standard deviation means that there is less variability in the data. A low standard deviation inspires more confidence that the mean represents the ‘typical case.’ Note: the standard deviation can also be affected by extreme outliers.
A higher standard deviation (SD) means that there is high variability (less agreement) in the data.
Dan received a mean score of 4.5 on the SCP survey, with an SD of 2. An SD of 2 is quite large relatively speaking, which means that there was a lot of variation in students' responses. Anyone reviewing Dan’s score should be cautious about interpreting it as reflective of the collective experience of all students in this class. With a higher SD, administrators should take a closer look at the scores to see if they can identify discrepancies in students' experiences.
A lower SD tells us that scores are close to the mean, meaning that there is less variability (more agreement) in the data.
Mitra received a mean score of 4.5, with an SD of 0.5, which is quite small (see above comments).With a lower SD, we can be more confident that the mean measures the typical case.
