Course description:

An overview of SPSS, descriptive statistics and graphical data analysis.

Topics covered:

• Overview of SPSS
  • The windows and menus of SPSS
  • Defining variables, entering and importing data
     
• Overview of data types and the normal distribution
  • Categorical: nominal and ordinal data
  • Scale: discrete and continuous data
  • Skewed data
     
• Descriptive statistics: Measures of centrality and spread  
  • Mean, median, mode, standard deviation, range etc. What's the difference?
  • Which can you use for the different data types?
  • When are they good (or bad) to use?
     
• Graphical methods for data display
  • Bar charts, histograms, scatterplots, box plots etc. What are their differences?
  • Matching graphics to your data type
  • Comparing groups
     
• Cross-tabs/contingency tables
  • Choice of percentage presentations (row, column, cell)
  • Nested tables
     
• Recoding and combining data into new variables
   
• Methods for case selection, analysing subsets of data

Attendees should be comfortable using software such as Microsoft Office in a Windows environment.
No prior knowledge of SPSS or statistics is necessary.

Course attendees are required to bring their own laptop installed with a licensed copy of SPSS Base version 10 or above.
Laptops are available for hire at an additional cost.

Note: Class sizes are limited to a maximum of 4 attendees.