Quantitative Methods of Data Analysis
This module is run by the Department of Sociology and is only available to students on the MA in Political Research and PhD students.
Module Content
- Introduction to SPSS
- Describing and visualising single variables
- Exploring two or three nominal or ordinal variables: dealing with tables
- Inferential statistics and tests of significance for categorical variables
- T-test and analysis of variance
- Correlation
- Bivariate and multivariate regression
- Logistic regression
Preliminary Reading
The four following books are essential references to learn statistics and interpret quantitative results. They are strongly recommended since they together cover the entire course: they will show you when and how to use statistical techniques. They give practical sense to them, which is indispensable to develop your own research.
Acton C. and Miller R. (with Maltby J. and Fullerton D.) (2009). SPSS for Social Scientists. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, 2nd ed.
- A very accessible SPSS guide covering the entire module. It explains clearly how to interpret SPSS outputs.
Fielding, J. and Gilbert, N. (2000) Understanding Social Statistics. London: Sage.
- This book covers almost the entire module (including the SPSS functions you will need) except logistic regression. It is a good introductory book to statistics, but also provides a thorough grounding in those basic concepts.
Field A. (2000) Discovering Statistics using SPSS for Windows. London: Sage.
- This book is more advanced than the previous one but the author is very didactical. With this book, students should better understand what they do while using SPSS and see that statistics are not that scary. Students should concentrate on the first 7 chapters. The others focus on more complex techniques. However, the book takes a more psychological approach whereas we take a survey approach to statistics.
Pallant, J. (2010) SPSS Survival Manual. New York: Open University Press, 4th ed.
- An excellent SPSS guide, which also takes the reader through statistical procedures in some detail. Students will need it to evolve through the black-box that can be SPSS.
Assessment
The module is assessed by one piece of work to be handed in by the first week back after Easter (see course handbooks for specific dates that relate to your programmes). The assessment takes the form of a report of 2500 words. The report should be on a substantive topic of your own choice but it must use: either multiple regression or logistic regression
Every year our students' feedback helps us to improve our modules
“This module makes you consider your research methods, and helps to focus the next stages of your work.”
