Autumn Semester

The course is assessed with two written assignments. The first is a short exercise that contributes 30% towards the overall module mark; the second is a more substantial data analysis exercise using SPSS (70% towards the overall module mark). Both assignments must be passed in order to pass the module.

The aim of this module is to provide students with a grounding in the basic principles of

data analysis and statistical methods. Emphasis throughout the module is on intuitive understanding rather than rigorous derivation.  In addition to the formal lectures there are practical classes at which students acquire skills in the application of techniques and are able to seek clarification of concepts and methods. These classes concentrate on the use of SPSS for data management and analysis.

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.

By the end of the module students should:

·         understand the basic principles of data analysis and statistical methods

·         be confident in the application of such techniques

·         be able to apply quantitative methods in social research

In addition, on completion of the module the student should be able to use SPSS to:

·         create simple data sets for statistical analysis

·         carry out simple statistical analyses on primary and secondary data

·         carry out simple data management tasks

·         basic concepts and the function of statistical measurement

·         frequency counts and simple data description

·         measures of central tendency and dispersion

·         graphics for display and analysis.

·         exploratory data analysis

·         foundations of probability theory

·         statistical inference (sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing)

·         measuring association between variables

·         cross-tabulation

·         bivariate correlation and regression, including multiple regression

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.

Essential text

Fielding, Jane and Gilbert, Nigel (2006), Understanding social statistics (2^nd edition). London : Sage.

Highly recommended additional texts

Agresti, Alan and Finlay, Barbara (2008), Statistical methods for the social sciences (4^th edition). Upper Saddle River, NJ : Prentice Hall.

Field, Andy (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS. (3rd edition). London : Sage.

Norusis, M. (2009)  The SPSS 17.0 Guide  to Data Analysis . Prentice Hall

April 2011