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Informationen zum Autor DEBRA WETCHER-HENDRICKS, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Sociology Department at Moravian College. She has published several journal articles in her areas of research interest, which include quantitative data analysis, interpersonal communications, and gender relations. Klappentext A user-friendly, hands-on guide to recognizing and conducting proper research techniques in data collectionOffering a unique approach to numerical research methods, Analyzing Quantitative Data: An Introduction for Social Researchers presents readers with the necessary statistical applications for carrying out the key phases of conducting and evaluating a research project. The book guides readers through the steps of data analysis, from organizing raw data to utilizing descriptive statistics and tests of significance, drawing valid conclusions, and writing research reports. The author successfully provides a presentation that is accessible and hands-on rather than heavily theoretical, outlining the key quantitative processes and the use of software to successfully draw valid conclusions from gathered data.In its discussion of methods for organizing data, the book includes suggestions for coding and entry into spreadsheets or databases while also introducing commonly used descriptive statistics and clarifying their roles in data analysis. Next, inferential statistics is explored in-depth with explanations of and instructions for performing chi-square tests, t-tests, analyses of variance, correlation and regression analyses, and a number of advanced statistical procedures. Each chapter contains explanations of when to use the tests described, relevant formulas, and sample computations. The book concludes with guidance on extracting meaningful conclusions from statistical tests and writing research reports that describe procedures and analyses.Throughout the book, Statistical Resources for SPSS(r) sections provide fundamental instruction for using SPSS(r) to obtain the results presented. Where necessary, the author provides basic theoretical explanations for distributions and background information regarding formulas. Each chapter concludes with practice problems, and a related website features derivations of the book's formulas along with additional resources for performing the discussed processes.Analyzing Quantitative Data is an excellent book for social sciences courses on data analysis and research methods at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It also serves as a valuable reference for applied statisticians and practitioners working in the fields of education, medicine, business and public service who analyze, interpret, and evaluate data in their daily work. Zusammenfassung Both an easy-to-use text and a quick reference guide, Analyzing Quantitative Data: An Introduction for Social Researchers offers a unique approach to quantitative research methods. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface xiiiPart I. Summarizing Data 11. Data Organization 31.1 Introduction 31.2 Consideration of Variables 41.3 Coding 151.4 Data Manipulations 181.5 Conclusion 202. Descriptive Statistics for Categorical Data 332.1 Introduction 332.2 Frequency Tables 352.3 Crosstabulations 372.4 Graphs and Charts 452.5 Conclusion 503. Descriptive Statistics for Continuous Data 633.1 Introduction 633.2 Frequencies 643.3 Measures of Central Tendency 703.4 Measures of Dispersion 733.5 Standardized Scores 793.6 Conclusion 88Part II. Statistical Tests 1014. Evaluating Statistical Significance 1034.1 Introduction 1034.2 Central Limit Theorem 1044.3 Statistical Significance 1074.4 The Roles of Hypotheses 1154.5 Conclusion 1195. The Chi-Square Test: Comparing Category Frequencies 1255.1 Introduction 1255.2 The Chi-Square Distribution 1265.3 Performing Chi-Square Tests 1305.4 Post Hoc Testing 1435.5 Confidence Intervals 1465.6 Explaining Results of the...
