Introducing Data Analysis for Social Scientists

This textbook is designed for social science students taking their first course in quantitative data analysis. It requires no previous knowledge of statistics or computer use, nor any mathematics beyond an elementary level. It introduces students to the principles of analyzing data in simple stages, including an introduction to using computers and SPSS/PC+, the most widely used statistical package in the social sciences. The emphasis throughout is on an understanding of the underlying principles of data analysis, and on elucidating these with simple but realistic worked examples which stress the role of theory in social research and the logic of data analysis. The first four parts of the text give students a grasp on the logic and language of social research; preparation of data and basic ideas in coputing; descriptive data statistics for both single variables and bivariate analyses; and inferential statistics. The final part introduces some of the most multivariate techniques and discuesses the problems and potential of longitudinal studies. The text comes complete with exercises and examples from the British Class Survey, and a subset of that data on a free floppy disk. The work is designed to serve as a valuable beginner's guide to students in geography. political science, sociology, social policy, management, social psychology and related disciplines.