This assignment asks you to use data from the Survey
of Student Attitudes and Experiences 1998.
The data set is available at t:\students\public\201\ssae98.sav
– see the Survey questionnaire, the Survey Report, and the
handout giving the list of variables in the data set. These problems ask you to obtain statistics and write comments on
the results. When you have completed
1-5 below, hand in the printout of the SPSS output, along with your written
comments. Alternatively, if you copy
the SPSS output to a file in Word for Windows and write the comments in that
file, hand in a paper copy of this file.
For each problem, part (a) refers to what you are to
do with SPSS. For part (b) of each of
these questions, write the answers and comments in pen or pencil on the
printout (or in a Word for Windows file).
1. (a)
Obtain frequency distributions for each of the variables PRIORITY (question
13), RESPECTG and RESPECTP (question 17), and SAFETY (question 19) by using Analyze – Descriptive Statistics – Frequencies. (b) In a sentence or two,
describe the frequency distribution for each variable, commenting on any
differences in views for the two parts of question 17.
2. (a) At the top of the third page of the Report
on the Survey of Student Attitudes and Experiences are some statements and
a table about multiculturalism. These
come from the variables M1 through M6 in question 30. Obtain frequency distributions along with the statistics of mode,
median, and mean for each variable.
Also obtain histograms for the “equal access” and “fund festivals”
questions. (b) Explain how the results in the table at the
top of page three in the Report were obtained. Using the measures of centrality, write a short paragraph
expanding on the paragraph at the top of page 3 of the Report. Also write a sentence or two comparing the
results from the two histograms.
3. (a)
Obtain stem-and-leaf displays for (i) number of hours worked at jobs (JOBHOURS)
and (ii) number of hours worked at jobs as a dependent variable, classified by
male and female (SEX) in the factor list, using Analyze – Descriptive Statistics
– Explore. Also, obtain the
histograms of JOBHOURS for males and females by clicking on Plots, then
check Histogram and Continue, prior to clicking OK. (Ignore or delete the boxplot on the
output). (b) Using the histograms or
the stem-and-leaf displays, in words compare the distributions of hours worked
at jobs for males and females. Use the
stem-and-leaf displays to determine the median and the mode of hours worked at
jobs for each of males and females.
4. (a)
For variables EMP1 through EMP4 (question 37), obtain frequency distributions,
histograms and the following statistics: mean, median, mode, standard
deviation, and quartiles. (b) Using the
data in the output, calculate the interquartile range for each variable. Using these data, write a short note about
how students view these issues.
5. (a) Using Analyze
– Descriptive Statistics – Descriptives, obtain the mean and standard
deviation for the four opinion variables V6 through V9, from question 15. (b)
Using the statistics you obtain, write a short note describing and comparing
the average and variation across these variables. In particular, comment on the seemingly opposite answers to V8
and V9.