Appendix B -- Notes to the Instructor

DATA

The data for
this module are available as SPSS for Windows portable files. There is one
file containing only the 1996 sample data (called sisssp1.por) and another
file containing the variables in all four years (called sisssp2.por). These
files can be downloaded from the Social Sciences Teaching Resources Depository
website.

 

SPSS FOR
WINDOWS

There is an introduction
to the basics of SPSS for Windows available for your use, SPSS for Windows
Version 6: A Basic Tutorial (Edward Nelson, Elizabeth Ness Nelson, Richard
Shaffer, Nan Chico, John Korey, James Ross). This can be ordered from McGraw-Hill
(ISBN 0-07-913673-7). It is a basic introduction to SPSS and can be used as
a supplement for a class or as a tutorial to learn SPSS by oneself. There
is also a revision of this book for version 7.5, SPSS for Windows Version
7.5: A Basic Tutorial. The ISBN is 0-07-366023-X. The version 7.5 book
is on the Social Sciences Teaching Resources Depository website.

 

CODEBOOK

The codebook
is included in this module as Appendix A. A list
of all the variables for student use is at the end of the codebook. A brief
introduction to using the codebook is at the beginning. A variable (YEAR)
was created specifying the year of the survey. If you are using the file containing
all four years (sisssp2.por), remember that you must either select out the
cases for one of the years or use YEAR as a control variable in a crosstabulation
to be able to distinguish one year from the other year. The codebook is available
on the Social Sciences Teaching Resources Depository website.

 

CUSTOMIZING
THE MODULE

The module can
be integrated into your classes in many ways. One approach is to assign the
introductory chapters to be read by the students and work through the simpler
exercises in class. Ideally students should be given the opportunity to use
the computer themselves and not just watch you do it. Later, exercises can
be assigned as homework and then reviewed in class. Chapters 4 and 6 contain
a culminating exercise in which students choose a problem, produce the appropriate
tables and statistics, interpret the tables, and write a brief research report.

A second approach
is for faculty to develop their own exercises to accompany the module. There
is no reason that you should limit yourself to the exercises we developed.
If you do develop your own exercises, be sure to test them before assigning
them.

A third approach
is for faculty to use the data set accompanying the module but not use the
module itself. You would have to develop your own introductory material to
make it relevant to your particular class.

The only statistics
used in the module are percentages, chi square, Cramer's V, and Gamma. You
could skip over all these statistics except percentages or you could introduce
other statistical techniques.

Two other appendices
are included for your possible use. Appendix C
contains supplemental instructional materials. Appendix
D contains a description of how to compute the measures of association
used in this module--Cramer's V and Gamma.