A knowledge of introductory statistics.

SPSS

For background reading only, e.g.
Quanitative Data Analysis Using SPSS, OUP 2008, Pete Greasley, ISBN: 0-335-22305-2
SPSS Survival Manual, 3rd Edition, OUP 2007, Julie Pallant, ISBN: 0-335-22366-4
Discovering Statistics using SPSS for Windows, A Field, Sage, 2000, ISBN 07619 5755 3
Designing Surveys, Sage 2005, Ronald Czaja & Johnny Blair, ISBN: 0-7619-2746-8
Improve Your Maths, G. Bancroft & M. Fletcher, Addison-Wesley, 1998, ISBN 0 201 331306

Learning will take place via 12 hours of lectures/problem sessions (whole group) and 24 hours of laboratory sessions.

You will study a variety of aspects connected with the design, operation and analysis of a survey including:
Defining survey objectives- what are the aims of this survey?
Sampling strategies-who to ask, how many to ask, how to ask.
Questionnaire design (to include OMR and web based) and the use of various attitude scales to measure opinions and attitudes including reliability measures.
Data entry, exploratory data analysis and the presentation and interpretation of tables, percentages and descriptive statistics using a statistics package eg SPSS.
Introduction to sampling theory. Hypothesis testing, including non-parametric statistics.
Using graphical output to display results and relationships.
Report writing and presentation.

A short report (approximately 1000 words) weighted at 25%. A report (approximately 3000 words) weighted at 75%.

1. Write a research specification giving details of how you would conduct a survey of your choice on a major scale. Learning outcome 1.

2. A report detailing the analysis, results and conclusions of the survey. Learning outcomes 2, 3 and 4.