Assignments+and+Data+Sets

1. Be sure you are on the course wikispace. Call Dr. A if you need assistance. 2. Be sure you have your textbooks. 3. Take the ATLAS test of preferred learning strategies online. Link to Internet site is on Internet Links page here on wiki. This will help me and the class to understand each other's preferred learning strategies. We will also use the ATLAS groups as examples in several research examples during the course. 4. Descriptive vs. Inferential Statistics: Read pages 8 and 9 in your Salkind text 5. Study Salkind Chapters 2 and 3 on descriptive statistics. Bring your questions to class for discussion. 6. If you want to get a jump on SPSS, you can get it on your computer OR access it on an OSU computer (as explained in class). Start reading Lessons 1-6 in your Green & Salkind book. Play around with SPSS and explore how it works if you wish. We will go over SPSS in class, but if you want to get a jump, feel free to play around. 7. Locate and print out the PowerPoint slide sets for the course. You will find them on the page here on Wiki named Handout Documents and Data Sets
 * __Assignments for August 29__**

1. Study Lessons 1- 6 on SPSS basics - Green & Salkind 2. Study Units 4A ahd 4B in Green & Salkind on charts and graphs in SPSS 3. Study Chapters 4 on visualizing and displaying data in Salkind text 4. Study document on reporting, tabling, and graphing quantitative data - located on Handouts page here on wiki. Print and copy and bring it to class for discussion and examples.
 * __Assignments for September 5__**

1. Study/Review Lessons 1-6 in your SPSS text (Green & Salkind). 2. Create a 10-subject (10-case) data file in SPSS. //Make up your own data// for this practice exercise. (a) 10 subjects or cases (b) 2 variables : gender and test score (c) Name both variables: var1 name gender; var2 name score (d) Give the score variable a Label of Score on Math Test (e) For the gender variable, use 1 for male and 2 for female; add this information as Values for this variable (f) Set Measure for gender as Nominal; set for score as Scale (g) Set data alignment as Right in columns (h) Enter value of both variables for all 10 subjects (make up your data!): enter either 1 or 2 for gender; enter values between 0 and 100 for score 3. Create this SPSS data file, then print it out and bring to class for discussion and help. 4. Create a TABLE of descriptive data from your SPSS file. Run basic descriptive statistics to provide input for your table. Use guidelines and examples discussed in class to help you design and lay out your table. Also WRITE a brief text paragraph to go with your table, using guidelines discussed in class.
 * __Assignments for September 12 - Beginning SPSS__**

1. Review your SPSS text and your class notes. Be sure you know how to create an SPSS file, define variables, enter data, select cases, and run descriptive statistics. 2.Create an SPSS data file SHELL for the data we collected in class. Use the guidelines we discussed in class. You should set up a data set with 8 variables (remember, we added an Age Group variable based on the raw age given by the subjects). WE WILL FILL IN THIS DATA SET IN CLASS. 3. Generate at least 3 research questions (you can do more if you wish) you want to answer from this data set. 4. WILL DO IN CLASS: Run the appropriate descriptive statistics to answer your research questions. 5. READING: Introduction to Inferential Statistics - Study Chapter 9 in your Salkind text. DON"T PANIC!! I know this is hard stuff. Be assured that we will go over everything UNTIL YOU GET it and you WILL GET IT!
 * __Assignments for September 19 - Practice with SPSS, Descriptive Statistics, and Tabling/Reporting Descriptive Data; Preparation for Inferential Statistics__**

1. Review reading on inferential statistics (statistical significance,p-levels, type I and type II error, etc.) 2. Using the SPSS data set we created in class using the data we collected in class (WHICH I WILL POST ON WIKI), run the appropriate descriptive statistics to answer the research questions you posed in last week's assignment. 3. Create an APA-stle TABLE to display your results. Run he statistics needed to answer you research questions. 4. Write an appropriate text to accompany your table. Include appropriate text above AND below table. 5. Bring your SPSS file and your write-up and table to class for discussion. 6. Read about populations and samples in your Salkind text. Bring the PowerPoint slides on Sampling to class for discussion.
 * __Assignments for Sept. 26__**

2. Bring your handout on sampling to class for discussion. 3. Read in Salkind about cross-tabs and chi-square. We will discuss in class.
 * __Assignments for Oct. 3__**
 * 1. Think about the inferential diagram we did in class. Bring questions to class.**

__**October 10 - NO CLASS: FALL BREAK**__ Do all assignments listed below for October 18

1. Review cross-tabs and chi-square in both Salkind and the SPSS book. 2. Retrieve this document (Chi-Square Assignment - below) and complete the reading and the statical assignment on the document. Bring your work to class for discussion and analysis. 3. Read the research articles using chi-square that are posted on wiki. Look on Handouts page for ARTICLES - you want the articles from OATE Journal (OATEScan), Journal of Industrial Teacher Education (JITEScan), and Journal of Interactive Online Learning (JIOLScan). Analyze how the studies were explained and written up. We will discuss in class. Study the chi-square uses in the articles and be prepared to discuss what the chi-squares were used to accomplish. In each case, was a "significant chi-square" desirable or undesirable for the purpose used by the researchers? 4. Read about correlation coefficients in Salkind (Chapter 5) and in the SPSS book. We will discuss correlations in class. 5. Read the information about correlations and scatter plots presented in the Internet link on this topic. You will find the link here on wiki on the Internet Links page. 6. Start thinking SERIOUSLY about your final project of planning a quantitative research study. Retrieve the docments //Proposal Paper Guidelines -// located on Handout Documents page of this wikispace. Bring it to class for discussion. 7. Read the research paper on educational futures, paying special attention to the way rating and ranking of data was handled. Bring a copy of the article to class for discussion. The paper is posted on the Handouts/Documents page here on wiki.
 * __Assignments for October 17__**

1 .Correlations in SPSS: Retrieve this document (Data Set 1) and complete Assignments 1 and 2. This requires you to create an SPSS file, answer several questions about the research described in the example, and run correlation data on the variables.
 * __Assignments for October 24__**



2. **__Quantitative Test Analysis:__** Get the handout document on Test/Instrument Reliability and Validity - located here on wiki. Study the document carefull and bring it to class for discussion. Also, read about validity and reliability in your Salkind text - chapter 6. Also see what you can learn about test reliability and validity in your SPSS book. Be prepared to discuss types of test //validity// and how they are established; types of test //reliability// and how they are established or calculated; //item analysis// (including //difficulty index// and //discrimination index//) and what it tells you about test items; the purpose of //factor analysis// and how it works. We will go over examples in class. Finally, retrieve the document on factor analysis - located here on wiki. We will introduce factor analysis in class and you will then use this study sheet and your SPSS book to learn about factor analysis for NEXT week. Look at how factor analysis was handled in the research paper on Ed. Futures (you reviewed this paper previously for handling of rating/ranking data). We will go over this in class.

1. __Factor Analysis__: Study your handout sheet on factor analysis. Study the factor analysis chapter in our SPSS book - Lesson 36. Review the factor analysis in the Ed. Futures paper. This is a complex and rather difficult statistic, but a very powerful one that you should know something about. We will discuss thoroughly in class and look at some examples. You will also have another assignment on factor analysis later to help you understand this powerful multivariate tool. 2. __Comparing groups: Descriptive Statistics and t-tests:__ Review t-tests in Salkind text - chapters 10 and 11 - and in SPSS book - lessons 22, 23, 24. 3. Read the research paper for JIOL - link to the article online is on the INTERNET page here on wiki. Bring the article to class for discussion.
 * __Assignments for October31 (Happy Halloween!)__**

November 7 & November 14 - Do steps1-3 for 11/7 Do steps 4-9 for 11/14 __. t-test Data Analysis -__ 1. Go back to the SPSS data file you created for your Oct. 28 assignment (the data set that has 50 subjects with 3 variables: treatment and 2 test scores). MAKE A DUPLICATE COPY OF THIS FILE AND NAME IT "t-test Exercise" 2. Change the name of the treatment variable to GENDER; change the name of the first test to mathtest; change the name of the second test to engtst (for English test). 3. Be sure you remember how to Select Cases and run Descriptives. 4. Review in your statistics book and the SPSS manual the following: t-test and its purpose and interpretation; types of t-test (independent sample, correlated or related-sample, and one-sample); homogeneity of variance and why it is important in the t-test; Levene's test; and pooled/unpooled variance. 5. Using the your new SPSS data file, separate your subjects into male and female (Select Cases). For males and then for females, run Descriptives and get the mean and standard deviation for each gender for each of the 2 tests. 6. Choose the appropriate t-test to compare the means of males and females on the math test (Test1) and on the English test (Test 2). 7. Run the t-test for each of the 2 test scores, comparing the means of males and females (Run 2 separate t-test: one for each test) 8. On your t-tests, include a Levene's test. Decide whether you should used the pooled or unpooled variance t-test results. Explain how you made this decision. 9. Bring all your print-outs to class for discussion and submission for credit. Also bring questions or problems to go over in class.

1. Complete t-test assignment - see above. 2. Comparing more than 2 groups: Introduction to Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Read about ANOVA in our Salkind text (Chapters 12 and 13) and in your SPSS manual (Unit 7). We will discuss extensively in class!
 * __November 7__**

1. Study one-way and 2-way ANOVAS in your texts. We will work on ANOVAs in class 2. Work with the SPSS ANOVA data files located below to conduct and interpret 1-way and 2-way ANOVA. We will start examining your work on these problems at our __Nov. 14 class meeting.__ 3. Nov. 28 - Read the research paper on the 3G patient simulator mannikin and learn about the "time series" design and a mixed methods research model. We will discuss in class. 4. WORK ON YOUR INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PLAN PAPER!
 * __November 14 - Dec. 5__**

**__NOTE:__** If you have trouble opening any SPSS files correctly (complete with data already entered) when you click on them, SAVE them to your computer's desktop (Use Save Target As), then open them in SPSS.

1-way ANOVA SPSS ASSIGNMENT This SPSS data set represents the results of a study involving subjects (N=30) from 3 different age groups: 18-25 (n=10); 26-40 (n=10); and 41 and older (n=10). In this study, all three age groups were taught using an instructional treatment based on an independent study program. After receiving this "treatment," all subjects were given an identifical 100-point test of their "responsiveness to treatment" to assess them affinity for this instructional method. This SPSS dataset records the data for this study. YOUR TASKS: 1. Write a general research questions of this study. 2. Write a null hypothesis for the ANOVA statistical analysis of the data. 3. Write a 2-tailed alternate hypothesis for the ANOVA. 4. Run a 1-way ANOVA on this dataset to test your hypotheses. a. When you run the ANOVA, check "Descriptives" under the OPTIONS button b. Set the POST-HOC option to "Scheffe" 5. Interpret the results of this 1-way ANOVA a. What did you find? b. What will you decide about the null and alternate hypotheses? Why? 6. Study the Homogeneous Subsets output. Read about these subsets in your SPSS book. a. What do the subsets data tell you? b. Do the subsets data support or clarify the ANOVA results? How?



2-way ANOVA SPSS file This SPSS dataset represents the results of a study about learner age groups and instructional treatments. A group of learners (N=32) comprised age group 1, ages 18-35 (n=16), and age group 2, ages 36-60 (n=16). These subjects were randomly assigned to receive either a virtual reality presentation of a laboratory environment (group 1, n=16) or a still imge presentation of the same lab (group 2, n=16). After receiving their instructional presentation, all subjects were given an identifical test of their spatial orientation within the laboratory environment depicted in the treatments. This SPSS dataset records the data for this study. YOUR TASKS: 1. Write 1 or more general research questions for this study. 2. Write null and 2-tailed alternative hypotheses for: a. age main effect b. treatment main effect c. interaction of age x treatment 3. Run the 2-way ANOVA on these data a. Set Model to "Full Factorial" b. Under OPTIONS, choose "Descriptive Statistics" and "Estimates of Effect Size" 4. Interpret your findings a. What did you learn? b. Interpret the main effect for age, using the significance (p-level) and eta-squared effect size (Read about this in your SPSS book) c. Interpret the main effect for treatment, using the significance and eta-squared effect size d. Interpret the interaction of age x treatment e. Interpret the R-square (Multiple R) coefficient 5. What are your decision about the null and alternate hypotheses for this ANOVA?



1. IF NOT ALREADY DONE: Why do you think factor analysis and its "sister" statistic cluster analysis (which does for groups of people what factor analysis does for groups of test items) are sometimes called "quantitative methods for qualitative ideas"? 2. IF NOT ALREADY DONE: Re-examine the Ed. Futures paper and its factor analysis. Download the SPSS data set (on Handouts page here on wiki). Try to run a 2 factor, 3 factor and 4 factor solution on the 13 individual influence items. Does your 4-factor solution look like the one presented in the paper? Why do you think the authors went with the 4 factor solution? 3. Be ready to finish ANOVA discussion and SPSS assignments
 * __Assignment for December 5__**

This is finals week. Study for your final exam, which will be a hands-on research problem. You will do the exam in class and will work with a team to complete the exam problem. You should also be prepared to present your individual research plan and to analyze and discuss the plans of your classmates.
 * __Assignments for December 12__**