Step-by-Step instructions on how to complete the study week FOE B SPSS practical tasks

Task 1 – Prepare your data for analysis in SPSS by following these instructions

I) After collecting data through Qualtrics, download/export the data to SPSS following the instructions
outline in FOE B Assessment Workshop 1 slides.

II) Inspect the data in SPSS and prepare it for analysis by following these steps:

a) Click on “values” to see the values that SPSS has assigned to participants’ responses to your health
scale questions. Check if they are in the correct format recommended by the scale developer (e.g.
1,2,3,4 or 11,22,33,44, or 0,1,2,3, etc.

b) If the values are in the wrong format, use the Transform-recode function in SPSS to recreate the
questions & assign correct values to the responses (e.g. from 1,2,3,4 to 0,1,2,3). Consult Assessment
Workshop 3 slides pages 9–11 for videos, etc.
 c) Does your scale require reverse coding of responses to some items/questions? If yes, use the
Transform-recode function in SPSS to recreate the question & reverse code the values for the
responses (e.g. from 1,2,3,4 to 4,3,2,1 or from 0,1,2,3,4 to 4,3,2,1,0). Consult Assessment Workshop
3 slides pages 9–11 for videos on recoding, etc.

d) Use the Transform-compute variable function in SPSS to compute the overall/total score for your
scale, (and if applicable, subdomain/subscale scores). Consult Assessment Workshop 3 slides pages
12–14 for videos on computing new variables, etc.

e) If your scale requires categorisation of the total score, use the Transform-recode function in SPSS.
E.g. converting total score from a continuous variable with values ranging from 14–70 to a
categorised version of the total score with multiple categories or levels, e.g. low/moderate/high).
Consult Assessment Workshop 3 slides pages 9–11 for videos on categorising a continuous variable.

Task 2 – Conduct basic data analysis to summarise and describe participants’ sociodemographic characteristics

I) Create a table showing descriptive statistics of participants’ sociodemographic characteristics

(number/frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation depending on whether they are categorical or
continuous variables)
Descriptive analysis of categorical variables - frequencies & percentages (eg. agegroup, having a pet, etc)
Descriptive analysis of continuous variables - mean with SD, minimum, maximum (e.g. number of hours slept)

II) Explain the contents of the table as narrative text in the body of the report.
Task 3 – Conduct basic data analysis for the scale variables
I) Present the descriptive statistics for the overall/total score – this is the continuous version of the total
score. So, report the results using mean with SD, minimum and maximum score

II) Present the descriptive statistics for the categorised score (low/moderate/high) – this is the categorial
version of the scale score. So, report the results with frequencies & percentages

Task 4 – Conduct subgroup analysis to compare scale scores by sociodemographic groups

• Compare scale result (either the total score or the categorised score) by sociodemographic groups e.g.
gender, employment, etc. The statistical techniques and tests to be used will depend on whether you are
using the continuous or the categorical version of the scale result.

1. Step 1: conduct one of these 2

Cross-tabulation for categorical variables OR comparison of means for continuous variables

2. Step 2: conduct one of these 2:

Test for the level of statistical significance using Chi-square test for categorical variables OR T-
test/ANOVA for continuous variables

****Note – SPSS does not save your work automatically. Remember to click “save” anytime you have recoded or
recategorised a variable or when you have computed a new variable. If you forget to save it, then all the new
details will be deleted when you shut down SPSS which means that the marker cannot verify some of your data
analyses****