SPSS survaival manual: a step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS, 4th ed.

Abstract

For many students, the thought of completing a statistics subject, or using statistics in their research, is a major source of stress and frustration. The aim of the original SPSS Survival Manual (published in 2000) was to provide a simple, step-by-step guide to the process of data analysis using SPSS. Unlike other statistical titles it did not focus on the mathematical underpinnings of the techniques, but rather on the appropriate use of SPSS as a tool. Since the publication of the three editions of the SPSS Survival Manual, I have received many hundreds of emails from students who have been grateful for the helping hand (or lifeline). The same simple approach has been incorporated in this fourth edition. Since the last edition, however, SPSS has undergone a number of changes—including a brief period when it changed name. During 2009 version 18 of the program was renamed PASW Statistics, which stands for Predictive Analytics Software. The name was changed again in 2010 to IBM SPSS. To prevent confusion I have referred to the program as SPSS throughout the book, but all the material applies to programs labelled both PASW and IBM SPSS. All chapters in this edition have been updated to suit version 18 of the package, (although most of the material is also suitable for users of earlier versions). I have resisted urges from students, instructors and reviewers to add too many extra topics, but instead have upgraded and expanded the existing material. This book is not intended to cover all possible statistical procedures available in SPSS, or to answer all questions researchers might have about statistics. Instead, it is designed to get you started with your research and to help you gain confi dence in the use of the program to analyse your data. There are many other excellent statistical texts available that you should refer to—suggestions are made throughout each chapter in the book. Additional material is also available on the book’s website (details in the next section).