LB5235: Assessment 1 – Data Analysis

You will notice, there is almost an incomprehensible string of numbers. You have to
take them and create a dataset in SPSS; it is actually easier than it first appears. The
variables comprising the data are first, age; second, examination marks; third, paper
marks; fourth, sex/gender; fifth, year in college; and last of all, IQ.

The following data are available:

218783M2080
198380M1100
238586M4091
218175F1075
218175F3084
206768F3097
267588F2121
249278F4114
267892M4124
308995F3127
217280F1085
198165M2081
177577M1072
197685F1096
358083F3095
277560F2061
218580M3086
277975M4073
219093F3142
229795M3165
219082M2116
198786F3118
329590M2121
196857F3085

Variables comprising the data are as follows:

 Age
 Exam Marks (for a maximum of 100)
 Paper Marks (for a maximum of 100)
 Sex (M=Male, F=Female)
 Year in College (1=Freshman; 2=Sophomore; 3=Junior; 4=Senior)
 IQ
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Variables comprising the data are as follows:

 Age
 Exam Marks (for a maximum of 100)
 Paper Marks (for a maximum of 100)
 Sex (M=Male, F=Female)
 Year in College (1=Freshman; 2=Sophomore; 3=Junior; 4=Senior)
 IQ

Your overall aim is to enter Data into the computer making sure you provide appropriate
variable labels, value labels, and scales for the variables. The first thing you will need to do
is open SPSS so you can create a dataset using the raw data on page one.

1. Double-click on the SPSS icon and Open either a blank dataset or new dataset.

2. You will be familiar with the appearance of this window given the earlier activities you
were involved in. Columns represent variables and rows represent cases or completed
questionnaires.

3. Before entering raw data you need to set up the variables. Go to bottom left hand corner
on the window and click on variable view.

4. Let us set up the first variable which is age. If you look at the raw data you will see 11
digits. The first two represents age. Reading off the first row of digits or numbers we can see
a person’s age as 21. The scale used here is known as a ratio scale as there is a point of
absolute zero; the same is true for the variables ‘exam marks’ and ‘paper marks’. At this
stage, you should understand the differences between the scales.

5. The next variable is sex or gender and you will see immediately that the scale used here is
categorical or nominal. In other words, female or male denoted by 1 or 0 respectively. What
we mean here is you will be coding gender by 1 or 0 rather than F or M.

6. Variable five concerns the year of student’s study. Again, this is a categorical or nominal
scale. 1 is code for Freshman, 2 is code for Sophomore, 3 is code for Junior, 4 is code for
Senior. So, we have to set up the data accordingly.

7. Finally, we have IQ. The scale here once again is ratio.

Establishing the dataset framework

1. Looking at the variable view there are several columns ranging from variable value label.
Choose and name for your first variable. In this case it is ‘Age’ so type Age into the space
under ‘Name’. You will see that SPSS automatically fills in some of the other boxes. Next, go
to the ‘Type’ column. This is where you set the scale you’re using for the data, in this case
that data is ‘Numeric’. The ‘Width” column is set at 8 as a default and we can leave this as is.
Similarly, we can leave the ‘Decimal’ column at two places. In the ‘Label’ column write
whatever you think appropriate, in this case we should probably stick with Age.

2. In the next column, you need to input the ‘Value’ labels. Because Age is not a category
you don’t need to set up Value Labels, nor do you need to worry about ‘Missing Values’ just
leave as is. Much like the Width column, don’t concern yourself with the column entitled
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‘Column’ just leave it at 8.

3. The only remaining column with which we have to deal is the ‘Measure’ column. SPSS
does not have the ‘Ratio’ measure. We therefore, use the ‘Scale’ measure. You have now set
up the framework, ready to input Age data.

4. We now must set up for the variables ‘Exam marks’ and ‘Paper marks’.

5. Following the above logic, please set up these variables.

6. In the variable view window click on the second cell in the name column; type in, Exam
Marks. Make sure you leave no space between the words exam and marks, otherwise SPSS
will not accept the name. Similar to Age, the type of data for exam marks is numeric. Once
again, SPSS will automatically complete the rest of the row. As the nature of the data is
similar to Age, all is good to leave, except you need to give this variable a label. In the label
column write, Exam Marks, this time as two words. Repeat this procedure for the variable
Paper Marks.

7. The next variable is ‘Sex’ or gender. This time the data is a categorical or nominal. Type
Sex into the name cell for your forth variable. Again, this data is numeric. You can label this,
Sex in the label column.

8. Gender–based data needs value labels. Click on the appropriate cell in the value labels
column. A new window will appear and you must input value and a value label for each
gender. We are told in the information provided the value label for females is ‘1’ with ‘0’
being that for males. Make sure you type Female into the ‘Value label’ box and 1 into the
‘Value’ box, then hit the ‘Add’ button. You will then see an ‘=’ sign and the number ‘1’ appear
in the lower box. Repeat this process for males and once complete hit the ‘OK’ button. You
will then be returned to the Variable View window. Go to the Measure column and change
the scale measure to nominal.

9. Like the gender data, ‘Year in College’ data is nominal. Therefore, repeat the above
process. Here, we have four categories so there must be four value labels.

10. The final variable is Intelligence Quotient or IQ. Once again, this data is ratio but we
already know that SPSS does not use this type of scale so we must use Scale. Once again in
the variable view window, typing the appropriate headings making sure the measure is scale
rather than nominal.
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Congratulations you have now completed the framework for data input and
analysis! Entering the data

1. You now need to enter the data which appears to be quite daunting (but really isn’t).
2. Switch from the variable window to the data window. Moving from left to right,
read off and enter the data beginning with the age cell.
3. The age of the first student is ‘21’. Exam mark is ‘87’. Paper mark is ‘83’. Gender
is ‘Male’. Year in college is ‘2’. Intelligence quotient is ‘80’.
4. You now need to enter all data for each student. Once completed you can begin
the analysis according to instructions provided.

Part 1: 45 Marks

1. Data handling

a. Enter the data in the computer. (2 marks)

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b. Provide appropriate variable labels, values labels, and scaling indications to the
variables. (6 marks)

2. Descriptives

a. Use Analyze, Descriptive statistics, Descriptives to summarize metric variables. (3

marks)

b. Recode the sex variable such that it is 1 for females and 0 for males. Hint: Do this
immediately in your own dataset, so do not enter M and F. (3 marks)

c. Use Analyze, Descriptive statistics, Frequencies to summarize nonmetric variables. (3

marks)
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d. Create a pie-chart for Year in College. (2 marks)

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Year In College
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid Freshman 5 20.8 20.8 20.8
Sophomore 6 25.0 25.0 45.8
Junior 9 37.5 37.5 83.3
Senior 4 16.7 16.7 100.0
Total 24 100.0 100.0

e. Create a histogram for IQ and include the normal distribution. (2 marks)

IQ
Cumulative
Frequency Percent Valid Percent Percent
Valid 61.00 1 4.2 4.2 4.2
72.00 1 4.2 4.2 8.3
73.00 1 4.2 4.2 12.5
75.00 1 4.2 4.2 16.7
80.00 1 4.2 4.2 20.8
81.00 1 4.2 4.2 25.0
84.00 1 4.2 4.2 29.2
85.00 2 8.3 8.3 37.5
86.00 1 4.2 4.2 41.7
91.00 1 4.2 4.2 45.8
95.00 1 4.2 4.2 50.0
96.00 1 4.2 4.2 54.2
97.00 1 4.2 4.2 58.3
100.00 1 4.2 4.2 62.5
114.00 1 4.2 4.2 66.7
116.00 1 4.2 4.2 70.8
118.00 1 4.2 4.2 75.0
121.00 2 8.3 8.3 83.3
124.00 1 4.2 4.2 87.5
127.00 1 4.2 4.2 91.7
142.00 1 4.2 4.2 95.8
165.00 1 4.2 4.2 100.0
Total 24 100.0 100.0
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f. Make a scatter plot with IQ on the x-axis and exam grade on the y-axis. What do you
conclude? (3 marks)

g. Make a scatter plot with sex on the x-axis and IQ on the y-axis. What do you conclude?
(5 marks)
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3. Compute the mean IQ for males and for females. What is the conclusion? (4 marks)

Data analysis

a. Is the exam grade significantly larger than 75? (3 marks)

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b. Are there significant differences in the exam grade for men and women? – Independent
samples. (2 marks)

c. Is there a significant difference between the exam grade and the paper grade? – paired
samples. (2 marks)

d. Do a multiple regression analysis to explain the variance in paper grades using the
independent variables of: age; sex (dummy coded); and IQ, and interpret the results. (5
marks)
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Part 2: 55 Marks

Your task will be to read the transcripts and perform what we call a content analysis. That is,
you need to read the interviews over and find if there are some common themes among them.
You may do this any method you choose. When you have finished the reading, and the
categorization, you need to write a no more than five-page report on what you have
discovered.

You’re going to write this up as you would in two sections of a research paper:

Methods (or Methodology)

Here you describe exactly how you analysed the data. What were your rules for determining
categories, trends, or themes? How did you do the coding? (25 marks)

Results

Here you talk about what you actually discovered. As they used to say in Dragnet, “Just the
facts.” You can’t really interpret the data, or talk about what it means, as we didn’t start this
with a research question or hypotheses. (25)