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| Module Availability |
Autumn and Spring Semesters - part time programme
Autumn Semester - full time programme |
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| Assessment Pattern |
An exercise towards the end of Semester 1 - part time programme
A computer-based analysis exercise in Semester 2 - part time programme
2 Exercises in Semester 1 - full time programme |
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| Module Overview |
| This in an introductory coure designed to give students a basic grasp of the statistical techniques necessary for the understanding and/or implementation of social research. Emphasis throughout the course is on intuitive understanding rather than rigorous derivation. In addition to the formal lectures there are practical classes at which students acquire skills with appropriate computer software and are able to seek clarification of concepts and methods. |
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| Prerequisites/Co-requisites |
Students who have not done any mathematics for a long time are advised to study the following programme text before commencing the course.
Graham L, Sargent D, (l981) Countdown to Mathematics, Vol 1. Addison Wesley. Modules l, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9. This book is used by the Open University and is designed for remote learning. |
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| Module Aims |
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| Learning Outcomes |
By the end of the module students should be able to:
· understand the logic of statistical estimation and inference
· critically evaluate research that uses statistics
· interpret basic statistics
· carry out elementary quantitative analysis using SPSS
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| Module Content |
Semester 1
Basic concepts and the function of statistics measurement
Frequency counts and simple data description
Measures of central tendency
Measures of dispension
Graphics for Display
Graphics for Analysis
Semester 2
Bivariate correlation and regression
Measuring association between variables
Crostabulation of two variables
Multiple regression
The examination of residuals
Dummy variable regression
Crosstabulation and causal modelling
Foundations of probability theory
Statistical inference
Sampling
Estimation
Hypothesis testing |
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| Methods of Teaching/Learning |
In addition to the formal lectures there are practical classes at which students acquire skills with appropriate computer software and are able to seek clarification of concepts and methods. |
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| Selected Texts/Journals |
Agresti, A and Finlay, B (1997) Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences, (3rd Edition) Prentice Hall. Fielding, J and Gilbert, N (2006) Understanding Social Statistics, (2nd Edition) Sage.
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| Last Updated |
| 27th August 2009 |
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