Quantitative Methods I provides an introduction to the use of statistical methods for the analysis of quantitative data and their practical application in a range of disciplinary contexts using the statistical computer software SPSS. This will include both descriptive statistics and elementary inferential statistics.
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
This module gives a broad introduction to quantitative methods of analysis. Indicative content includes: descriptive statistics, presentation of data using tables and graphs, the Normal distribution, sampling distributions and the central limit theorem, confidence intervals, hypothesis tests for means and proportions, chi-squared test of independence, two sample t-tests, one-way ANOVA, non-parametric tests, correlation and simple linear regression, effect sizes. In addition, some key international and UK data sources will be introduced.
Teaching will be through a combination of multidisciplinary lectures, tutorials, and computer workshops.
Learning activities will include learning in lectures, which will cover explanations of the statistical methods and their use, discussing problems during the tutorials, as well as by independent study. The computer workshops will provide hands-on experience of the analysis of data and the application of the methods introduced in the lectures using SPSS. The course assumes no prior knowledge of statistical methods or SPSS, although pre-reading of Diamond and Jefferies (2001) or Garner (2005) would be of benefit.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Independent Study | 80 |
| Teaching | 20 |
| Total study time | 100 |
Diamond, I. and Jefferies, J. (2001). Beginning Statistics. Sage.
Field, A. (2009). Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. London: Sage.
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assignment | 100% |
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Assignment | 100% |
Repeat type: Internal