| CODE | SOC2055 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Quantitative Analysis: SPSS in Practice | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Sociology | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | The main pedagogical goal of this study-unit is the analysis of statistical data. The study-unit involves the display of descriptive statistics, graphical presentations and interpretation of statistical computations. The study-unit also includes inference through hypothesis testing. A hands-on approach will be used where the statistical elements are delivered in conjunction with practical application using SPSS on existing datasets. The aim of this study-unit is to teach participants basic mathematical concepts at the core of statistical analysis, and familiarize them with the facilities of SPSS for conducting quantitative analysis. The study-unit will include: - Sampling techniques; - Estimate sample size and margin of error; - Generating variables and data entry in SPSS; - Summarizing data using graphs and tables; - Descriptive Statistics; - Analysis of multiple response and open-ended questions; - Internal consistency and reliability; - Parametric hypothesis tests; - Non-parametric hypothesis tests; - Simple and Multiple linear regression models; - Multivariate techniques (Factor analysis, Cluster analysis). Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Relate the mathematical principles of combinatorics and probability to real life data; - Appraise internal consistency and reliability within the data; - Implement statistical tests on given datasets appropriately using SPSS; - Generate effective graphical displays and tabular forms; - Demonstrate parametric and non-parametric hypothesis testing. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Organise numerical data and prepare them for analysis; - Use SPSS effectively to generate statistical analysis and graphical/tabular display of data. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - Field, A. (2007) Discovering Statistics using SPSS – Sage Publication Ltd - Freund, J. E. and Simon, G. A.(1995) Statistics – A First Course, Prentice Hall Inc. - McClave, J. T. and Sincich, T. (2000) A First Course in Statistics- Prentice Hall. - Sander, D. (1997) Statistics - A First Course – McGraw-Hill. - SPSS Interactive Graphics 16.0 (2007) by SPSS Inc. - SPSS Base 16.0 Applications Guide (2007) by SPSS Inc. |
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| ADDITIONAL NOTES | This Study-Unit is offered only to Sociology students. | ||||||||
| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Practical | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Liberato Camilleri |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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