***Get Survey data in SPSS.sav format HERE***
There are nine steps in this assignment, using the following questionnaire. They are as follows:
1. Open the spss.sav file shown above. If your file does not open directly, right click and save to the desktop, then open in spss. If you do not have spss on your home machine, each of the computers on campus has it installed. Once open, follow the "transform/recode/into same variable" menu listings to declare "9's" missing for all variables. Click here and open from the web to see an example.
2. Next review the questionnaire. Select a dependent variable that interests you; one that you want to explain. For example, if you are interested in technology, you may want to use the variable WIRELESS as the dependent variable. If you were interested in when students take their classes, you might choose the CLASSTIME variable.
3. Run the "Frequencies" program from the "Analyse/DescriptiveStatistics/Frequencies" menu. Do this to make sure you are choosing a dependent variable with sufficient variation (i.e. no one category should have more than 65% of the responses). Click here and open from the web to see an example.
4. Follow the "transform/recode/into different variable" menu listings to recode your dependent variable into a dichotomy. Click here and open from the web to see an example. Next label the new categories of the recoded variable. Click here to see an example of labeling.
5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 to find an Independent variable. Remember, Independent variables are typically antecendent (e.g. demographic and information variables) while Dependent Variables are typically proximate (e.g. information and opinions variables).
6. Run the "Crosstabs" procedure to determine if there is a relationship between the IV and DV. Remember, the criteria is that the measure of association (Phi for nominal data; Gamma for ordinal data) must be greater than 0.3 and the significance level should be less than 0.05. Click here and open from the web to see an example of crosstabs.
7. Once you have established this "zero order" relationship, repeat steps 2 through 4 to find a Control Variable; that is, a variable such that when you look at the zero-order relationship under the two conditions of the control variable, the relationship changes.
8. Run "Crosstabs", placing the Control Variable in the "layer" box to determine if the Control Variable explains the zero-order relationship. If so, one of two outcomes will occurr: 1) both conditions of the control relationship will show a lower relationshiop than in the zero-order table, or 2) one will be higher and the other lower then the zero-order. Click here and open from the web to see an example of generating partial tables.
9. Print the zero-order table on one page and the partial tables on a second page. These are the output for Assignment 9.
Any questions, or if you need further help, please attned office hours
Thursday, Nov 19th at 6:00 pm