SPSS Help – An introduction to using SPSS

Need help with SPSS? This article is a brief introduction to the program. SPSS, also known as PASW (Predictive Analytic Software), is a program that works with statistics. It is a popular program for those who do research, analyze data, and work on thesis projects. Since SPSS and statistics go hand in hand, you need to know about statistics.

Statistics is a set of mathematical techniques that can be used to summarize research data and determine whether or not the data supports the researcher’s hypothesis. When working with any type of investigation, there are specific stages that each individual should expect to complete.

The first stage is the planning and design stage that will take place before the release of SPSS. During this phase, you will focus on a specific area of ​​research, develop a hypothesis, and identify a sample population to conduct your research.

The second stage is data collection. Field work such as making observations and delivering surveys and questionnaires are common at this stage. The collected data will be entered into SPSS for interpretation.

The third stage, data analysis, and the fourth stage, report generation, are the only stages in which SPSS will be used. Data analysis will consist of running different types of tests, while reporting will include writing some type of finished document or report.

To start working with SPSS, first start the program. These instructions assume that you are working with the program on a computer with a Windows operating system. Please note that individual steps may vary. To get started, click the start button in the bottom left corner of the screen. Point the mouse at all programs. Point to SPSS Inc. and then PASW Statistics 17 (or whatever version of the program is installed on your computer). Click PASW Statistics 17 to start the program. Once the program has started, a PASW Statistics 17 dialog box will appear. Click the cancel button to close this window. This will place it inside a blank data file titled “Untitled1”.

For those looking at SPSS for the first time, the program’s interface can be overwhelming. It’s actually not much more difficult to use than your average spreadsheet program. We’ll now review the interface so you can understand how to navigate through your files. Like all programs, the top bar includes the title bar that shows the running program and the name of the file being worked on. Towards the top right of the window, there are the buttons to minimize, maximize/restore and close the window of our program. Directly below the title bar is the menu bar that groups the program’s functions into common feature groups with an inner working of submenus and options for analyzing our data. Below the menu bar is the toolbar, a series of commonly used features derived from the menu bar conveniently placed in plain sight for easy access and use.

Do the rows and columns of the program window remind you of the interface of another program? SPSS uses rows and columns in the same way that Excel does. In SPSS, by default, each column is labeled “var”, which is short for variable. Variables are the survey items or questions you will ask respondents. Each row in the spreadsheet corresponds to a case. A case will contain all responses from each participant to your survey, quiz, etc.

While Excel can have an unlimited number of tabs, SPSS is limited to just two: data view and variable view. These two tabs are visible at the bottom left of the SPSS window. The data view tab is where users will enter raw data collected from surveys, questionnaires, observations, or other forms of collection. The variable view tab can be thought of as an administration window. It is where the variables are defined. In this tab, you will assign variable names and types and choose the corresponding attributes.

The type of variable will determine how the cases are entered. The string type is used when responses will consist of “strings” of characters, or in other words “words”. Use the string type to record variables such as respondent names. The numeric type can be used when numeric responses are anticipated. Variables like GPA and age often use a numeric type. Another type of variable is called a dollar. This type will be used with variables such as salary or cost. There are other types of variables such as date and scientific notation. Assign these types when recording dates and numbers in scientific notation, respectively. In the variable view, users can also assign a variable label. In this cell, enter a sentence that explains what the variable is for. You can also enter your survey question. A variable label is optional.

After assigning variable names, types, and labels to each of the variables in your survey or questionnaire, users can begin entering data for analysis. Remember to save your data file frequently by going to the file menu and then clicking save. SPSS uses its own file type called a “.sav” file. Create and store a backup of your file on a flash drive or external hard drive in case of an emergency.

Although this article will not cover the details of individual tests and analyses, please note that test results will appear in a separate applet section called the results window. All results, such as tables or graphs in the output window, must be saved separately. If you close SPSS and do not save the results of your output window, you will have to recreate all graphs, tables, etc. So be sure to save the results in a separate “.spv” file.