1) Quantitative Data Analysis Using SPSS, OUP 2008, Pete Gresley, ISBN-10:0-335-22305-2
2) SPSS Survival Manual, 3rd Ed, OUP 2007, Julie Pallant, ISBN-10: 0-335-22366-4
3) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS, Sage 2005, Andy Field, ISBN: 0-7619-4452-4
4) Designing Surveys, Sage, 2005, Ronal Czaja & Johnny Blair, ISBN: 0-7619-2746-8
5) Improve your Maths, Addison-Wesley, 1998, G Bancroft & M Fletcher, ISBN: 0-7619-5755-3

None

SPSS.
Excel.
Internet.
Learning material will be made available on Blackboard VLE.

A short REPORT length 1000 WORDS weighted at 25%. A 2ND REPORT length 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 and briefly discuss the ethics of conducting this research. Learning Outcome 1.

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

This module takes an extensively student led approach to learning. Students will initially attend an introductory lecture that will guide them as to the topics of the module and the expectations that they need to meet. The two assignments will be presented to them and the students given opportunity to ask questions related to these. The module will then proceed with lecture sessions and statistic based problems and case studies. The student will work on these extensively in their own time and use the remaining tutor contact time in order to check their thinking and to gain guidance as to their academic development.

In approaching the assignment students must show to the tutor their first assignment regularly in its development in order to improve on any weaknesses present. The second assignment building on the first is more extensive related to marks given and for this it is expected that students regularly send drafts and get formative feedback on their work. Throughout to support the assignment Blackboard VLE will be used to provide examples and similar case studies to aid the student in developing their thinking. Topics will also be put on a discussion forum so that ideas can be explored with the tutor and other students.

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 e.g. SPSS.
Introduction to sampling theory. Confidence intervals for means and proportions. Hypothesis testing (parametric & non-parametric).
Correlation and Regression.
Using graphical output to display results and relationships.
Report writing and presentation.