Using data collected by students in SOC 2315-D00 Survey Design and Quantitative Data Acquisition in Winter 2023, you are going to be writing two 4-6 page (plus tables and other appendices) research reports using SPSS. The reports will get you exploring the data and answering research questions related to the survey subject related to what young people think of Ottawa’s nightlife.
Instructions
Assignment: Exploring Descriptive Statistics using SPSS
Objective: The objective of this assignment is to introduce you to SPSS and help you understand how to calculate and interpret descriptive statistics for social science research.
Instructions:
1. Data: Use the Ottawa Nightlife Data provided on Brightspace.
2. Data Preparation: Before you start analyzing the data, you need to prepare it for analysis. This includes checking for missing values, recoding variables if necessary, and ensuring that your dataset is clean and ready to be analyzed.
3. Descriptive Statistics Calculation: Using SPSS, calculate the following descriptive statistics for at least three variables in your dataset:
a. Measures of Central Tendency: Mean, Median, and Mode
b. Measures of Dispersion: Range, Variance, and Standard Deviation
4. Visualization: Create appropriate visualizations (e.g., frequency tables and/or graphs) for each variable to complement your interpretation. Explain how these visualizations enhance your understanding of the data.
5. Interpretation: Based on the calculated descriptive statistics, write a brief interpretation for each variable you analyzed. Discuss what the measures of central tendency, dispersion, and shape reveal about the distribution of each variable. Are there any notable patterns or outliers?
6. Reflection: Reflect on the importance and limits of descriptive statistics in social science research. Discuss how descriptive statistics help researchers summarize and understand data, identify patterns, and make informed conclusions. Also discuss the limits and implications of statistics for BIPOC or other minority/marginalized populations.
Submission Guidelines:
– Write a clear and concise report summarizing your findings, interpretations, and reflections.
– Include the SPSS output with syntax/code and any visualizations created during the analysis.
– Organize your report logically, following a proper structure (introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusion).