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SPSS Step by Step: Essentials for Social and Political Science
SPSS Step by Essentials for Social and Political Science is a concise text for beginners and intermediate statistical test users. Clearly written and with no mathematical formulae, it features a chapter on qualitative data analysis; multiple regression; survival analysis (‘the time until events’); and a brief cogent introduction to factor analysis. A logically ordered guide to analysing everyday problems, SPSS Step by Step is distinctive in being both easy to grasp and readable. Tests throughout the book are accompanied by clear worked examples. These include Wilcoxon; Friedman; Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis; paired and unpaired T tests; ANOVA; binomial; McNemar; Chi-square; Pearson; Spearman; partial correlation; simple linear regression; multiple regression; factor analysis; Kaplan-Meier and life tables. Invaluable for undergraduate and postgraduate students and academics undertaking or teaching research, this unique book will also be of interest to professionals in social care, the criminal justice system, health and education.
232 pages, Hardcover
First published April 27, 2010
11 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 15, 2013
First I have to say that statistics is definitely not my forte. The last time I studied statistics and used SPSS was many years ago as a companion to a social science research course for my masters. I just about muddled through it! It was a pity I didn’t have Cole Davis’s Book SPSS Step By Step: Essentials for social and political science. This is a handbook of sorts in the author’s own words, ‘designed to offer the reader a quick and easy introduction to the analysis of data.’ It succeeds in this goal quite admirably.
The book has a very easy reading style that is very accessible to the layperson. Having said that it does assume some academic understanding of basic statistics and research; given that its audience is meant to be anything from the research student to non-mathematicians in various professions who need to analyse data for research, I consider that an acceptable starting point. It is divided into three parts. Part 1 deals with background knowledge of statistical research, part 2 gets down to the use of SPSS in research and data, and part 3 offers some exercises, concepts and tests. Overall it seems a good overview and guide to get you going in data research with SPSS.
Although, I am not skilled in statistics or SPSS, I am a very experienced teacher up to and including degree level so I feel well qualified to review the book as a text for learning purposes. On that level I can give it a high 5 stars! As I said it is well written with an easy accessible style, well set out in three clear parts. It uses a number of good teaching methods in text books such as bold highlighting of terminology and concepts to be defined. Each chapter has a clear path from introducing the topic with definitions, discussion of it as a research concept and its role and finally offering a summary box at the end followed by ‘a talking point.’ Once SPSS is introduced and applied to the research concepts, the author uses screen shots and examples.
I do have some suggestions gleaned from my experience with text books that would improve the ease of learning. The first is a glossary at the start as a reference to the terminology – I feel this is essential. Given the density of material I also think a text box with definitions used on each page would be extremely helpful, especially for beginners or those of us who start to see Greek after a while.
Also, although screen shots are used, I feel they should be placed in between the text with the use of arrows and highlighting. After a while I just started to get a tad confused without that to lead me and keep me on track. I have seen these and used them in other software manuals and they are invaluable. Perhaps in the next edition Mr Davis?
Regardless, Cole Davis still manages to present a confusing and daunting subject in a clear, coherent and concise volume. I was very daunted but happily surprised at how accessible the author made the subject matter. No mean feat! Highly Recommended.
The book has a very easy reading style that is very accessible to the layperson. Having said that it does assume some academic understanding of basic statistics and research; given that its audience is meant to be anything from the research student to non-mathematicians in various professions who need to analyse data for research, I consider that an acceptable starting point. It is divided into three parts. Part 1 deals with background knowledge of statistical research, part 2 gets down to the use of SPSS in research and data, and part 3 offers some exercises, concepts and tests. Overall it seems a good overview and guide to get you going in data research with SPSS.
Although, I am not skilled in statistics or SPSS, I am a very experienced teacher up to and including degree level so I feel well qualified to review the book as a text for learning purposes. On that level I can give it a high 5 stars! As I said it is well written with an easy accessible style, well set out in three clear parts. It uses a number of good teaching methods in text books such as bold highlighting of terminology and concepts to be defined. Each chapter has a clear path from introducing the topic with definitions, discussion of it as a research concept and its role and finally offering a summary box at the end followed by ‘a talking point.’ Once SPSS is introduced and applied to the research concepts, the author uses screen shots and examples.
I do have some suggestions gleaned from my experience with text books that would improve the ease of learning. The first is a glossary at the start as a reference to the terminology – I feel this is essential. Given the density of material I also think a text box with definitions used on each page would be extremely helpful, especially for beginners or those of us who start to see Greek after a while.
Also, although screen shots are used, I feel they should be placed in between the text with the use of arrows and highlighting. After a while I just started to get a tad confused without that to lead me and keep me on track. I have seen these and used them in other software manuals and they are invaluable. Perhaps in the next edition Mr Davis?
Regardless, Cole Davis still manages to present a confusing and daunting subject in a clear, coherent and concise volume. I was very daunted but happily surprised at how accessible the author made the subject matter. No mean feat! Highly Recommended.
May 24, 2013
SPSS Step by Step: Essentials for Social and Political Science is the perfect introduction to statistics for a non-math major. It does an excellent job of providing a high level overview of statistical methods without burdening the reader with all of the formulas. It is perfect for fields like social and political science and market research where a working knowledge and simple software interface are needed. Mr.Davis even provides an overview of qualitative research. It is easy to read and a must for students or professionals who need a quick overview of statistics.
July 15, 2013
Statistics really are fascinating when you think about it. They can be upsetting, comforting, or they could just provide you with general insight on a particular topic. How many statistics have you read that have left you absolutely stunned? Of course there are practical reasons behind using statistics in all different fields. This is a great guide book to help you with statistics and the SPSS software.
Here is the basis I used to rate the book:
Star #1: Well-written and concise
The author is a skillful writer, who delivers everything in a very clear and concise manner.
Star #2: Makes information easier to understand
Statistics is not an easy subject, but the author does a great job at making it not as difficult. There is a lot of information packed into this book, but it gets broken down in a way that makes it less overwhelming.
Star #3: Examples using visuals
Good examples are used to help you better understand the material. Some of the same examples are used again and are then elaborated on to explain other types of statistical tests. This really helped show the differences between them and the reasons why you would use one test over another depending upon the data set. Also, I’m not typically a visual learner, but the images that accompanied the examples definitely made everything easier to comprehend.
Star #4: Practical and helpful
This book can be useful for so many people in various fields - social researchers, marketers, clinicians, other business personnel, etc. It is also great for students.
Star #5: Humor
It definitely deserves a star for humor! The author even acknowledges the fact that statistics isn’t always the most exciting subject, and he throws some jokes in to help liven it up.
This book is intended for beginners and those on an intermediate level so even though the subject matter is complicated, it is still very readable. Overall, I’d have to say this is a guide book I’d recommend to anyone who needs to garner more information on statistics and learn how to use the SPSS software. Just as the title suggests, there are step by step instructions that are designed to help you through various exercises. This book is a wealth of information, and the author is very knowledgeable on the topic. I learned a lot from reading this.
Here is the basis I used to rate the book:
Star #1: Well-written and concise
The author is a skillful writer, who delivers everything in a very clear and concise manner.
Star #2: Makes information easier to understand
Statistics is not an easy subject, but the author does a great job at making it not as difficult. There is a lot of information packed into this book, but it gets broken down in a way that makes it less overwhelming.
Star #3: Examples using visuals
Good examples are used to help you better understand the material. Some of the same examples are used again and are then elaborated on to explain other types of statistical tests. This really helped show the differences between them and the reasons why you would use one test over another depending upon the data set. Also, I’m not typically a visual learner, but the images that accompanied the examples definitely made everything easier to comprehend.
Star #4: Practical and helpful
This book can be useful for so many people in various fields - social researchers, marketers, clinicians, other business personnel, etc. It is also great for students.
Star #5: Humor
It definitely deserves a star for humor! The author even acknowledges the fact that statistics isn’t always the most exciting subject, and he throws some jokes in to help liven it up.
This book is intended for beginners and those on an intermediate level so even though the subject matter is complicated, it is still very readable. Overall, I’d have to say this is a guide book I’d recommend to anyone who needs to garner more information on statistics and learn how to use the SPSS software. Just as the title suggests, there are step by step instructions that are designed to help you through various exercises. This book is a wealth of information, and the author is very knowledgeable on the topic. I learned a lot from reading this.
July 28, 2013
My Review: I must admit I kept passing over this in my TBR pile. The subject kind of intimidated me. I mean, gasp, math. I shudder at the thought. Well my conscience got the better of me so I picked it up determined to give it a go. To my surprise and relief it was not what I thought it would be. The dreaded formulas are not there and even a person like me that avoids things like this was able to grasp the subject matter. While it is not something I would settle down before the fire with and devour like most books it is worth a look. My daughter home schools and plans to use it and my husband who is an engineer thinks it is a good book for an intro into this difficult subject. I for one do agree with him. This book gets 4 stars
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews