Introduction
Quantitative Research Methods and Statistics in SPSS
Why is it important?
Quantitative research and statistics are a key component of social sciences research. Researchers often gather data by observing people's actions or behaviours, and using data collection tools such as surveys or questionnaires. The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of human behaviour, reaction and psychology.
Whilst completing your degree at Solent, you may be asked to conduct a research project which requires quantitative methods. This can be anything from marketing to psychology, sociology to sports science, and other subjects which look at human behaviour and how people influence the world around them.
How do I do it?
This course aims to introduce the principles of quantitative research methods - what they are, and how students can use them as part of a research project or dissertation. The course will also explore statistical analysis (a key feature of quantitative research) using the software SPSS by IBM.
Students can download and install SPSS on their personal devices by visiting this page.
You should start with Part 1, where you will be introduced to quantitative research and data collection methods in a broader sense. This part of the course is incredibly important, as having a poorly-constructed research plan can lead to huge difficulties and poor outcomes when later trying to analyse data.
Once you have devised a plan for your quantitative research, revisit Part 2 and Part 3 to learn more about how to use SPSS and how to conduct the specific statistical tests needed for your research project.
- Parts of the course
See below for an introduction to what you can find in each part of the course.
Part 1: An introduction to quantitative methods and statistics
As mentioned above, we highly recommend that you start with Part 1 of this course before collecting any data in order to gain an understanding of the requirements and techniques required for quantitative or statistical research projects. This section will cover an introduction to quantitative research methods, an introduction to statistical analysis, and an introduction to data collection.
Understanding these three areas will help you to devise a strong research project from the outset, which will allow you to gather and analyse data effectively later on. Poor research planning leads to poor outcomes, and it is difficult to draw conclusions from your data and analyses if you have not considered your research aims before beginning a project.
Part 2: An introduction to SPSS, including data entry, editing and manipulation
Part 2 of the course is best completed after you have collected your data. It will provide an introduction specifically to the software SPSS. You'll learn how to enter and edit your data, ready for analysis. You can also complete our quiz on 'What statistical test should I choose?' and you'll learn about Descriptive Statistics, which are a key starting point for all statistical analyses.
Part 3: How to conduct each type of statistical test
The final part of the course goes through the most common statistical tests, and how you can conduct them using SPSS. Once you have determined which test(s) to use, visit this section to learn about how to run the test in SPSS and how to interpret the results.