Next Steps With SPSS
- Eric L. Einspruch - ELE Consulting, LLC
"There can be no doubt that book like this is needed. The idea that the author has to provide information beyond the SPSS tutorials is invaluable. Great conversational style and good examples! I like the idea of inputting data and working through the procedures in real life. The exercises are great practice for learning and sharpening the skills described."
--Geni Cowan, Educational Administration, California State University, Sacramento
Written in an easy-to-read, straightforward manner, Next Steps With SPSS introduces readers to intermediate and advanced SPSS skills. These skills are introduced and illustrated with sample programs designed to apply powerful techniques in data handling and analysis, with the output from these programs presented and interpreted. The book is organized so that it builds increasingly advanced syntax coding skills, starting with the handling of complex data files and then moving to coverage of looping and macro skills. The book then switches to more windows-oriented skills suitable for working with SPSS output (as in pivot tables and interactive graphics) and for running SPSS in an alternative mode (as in a production facility). The book returns to coding skills by introducing the more advanced topics of the scripting facility (which has broad application to handling data and creating output) and the matrix command language. Throughout the book, Einspruch provides pedagogical aids for the reader, such as:
- Detailed examples provide step-by-step illustrations of each step in a procedure
- End-of-chapter exercises (with solutions provided in the Appendix)
- Boldface text indicates operations or choices that the reader will need to make when running SPSS
- Opening chapter "alerts" give readers a quick synopsis of what they will learn as well as the recommended SPSS skill level
- Chapter glossaries provide readers with a list and definition of command words covered in the chapter
After reading this book, readers will be able to perform: looping functions that can be used to repeatedly perform a set of commands; the macro facility that efficiently performs complex and repetitive tasks; pivot tables that can be manipulated to display results in different ways; interactive graphics can be used to modify charts without re-running an entire procedure; the production facility that can run routine, time consuming analyses unattended; and, the matrix command language which handles matrix algebra computations and allows you to write statistical routines.
"I am very positive about the topics covered. A quality reference book covering these topics in a clear and concise manner would be of considerable value. Specialized syntax files are of special interest to me, as was the chapter on production facilities. The sequencing of the chapters is logical and begins with the familiar (data files) and proceeds through to more complex issues."
--David Holman, Education, Arkansas State University
"There can be no doubt that book like this is needed. The idea that the author has to provide information beyond the SPSS tutorials is invaluable. Great conversational style and good examples! I like the idea of inputting data and working through the procedures in real life. The exercises are great practice for learning and sharpening the skills described."
"I am very positive about the topics covered. A quality reference book covering these topics in a clear and concise manner would be of considerable value. Specialized syntax files are of special interest to me, as was the chapter on production facilities. The sequencing of the chapters is logical and begins with the familiar (data files) and proceeds through to more complex issues."
Building on key skills, this allows students to further develop their knowledge of data analysis. Good for students and staff in providing examples, activities and guidance throughout.
While most of the similar books are targeting beginners, it is very useful to have a topic on more advance use of SPSS. The book is unique in this perspective, however, it is unfortunately not being updated since 2004, and therefore its version of SPSS is outdated.
This book is succinctly written and gives clear guidance for students who want to master spss. It is also an excellent text for researchers who use spss for their data analyses.
