Frequency Distributions and Summary Statistics (Review of Lab Concepts)

Prior to taking this course, you learned the skills needed to use the statistical computer package SPSS (Software Package for the Social Sciences). In your course, SPSS Revealed, you gained an understanding of public health practice and research. Topics included, importation of data, management of various types of data, creation and exportation of tables and graphs, and computation of basic statistical tests using SPSS.

For this course, you will review these biostatistical methods and concepts used in public health practice and research. Although this time, the emphasis is placed on interpretation and application of concepts rather than statistical formulas. This week, you review frequency distributions and summary statistics by using SPSS to analyze variables in databases.

Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze variables in datasets
- Run statistical analyses on variables
- Analyze statistical measures in case studies

Assignment 1: Hands on SPSS!

As you review the Learning Resources this week on frequency distributions, you begin to understand the importance of tables and graphs which may assist public health professionals describe the shape, location, and spread of a distribution. A frequency distribution is an organized table or graphical representation of the number of individuals in each category on the scale of measurement (Manikandan, 2011). In addition, it allows the researcher to have a glance at the entire data conveniently. As you become familiar with various concepts, you will begin to ask yourself several questions such as:

Is the distribution symmetrical? Are there extreme values? Is there skewness? Given the shape of this distribution, is the mean the appropriate measure of central tendency, why or why not?

For this Assignment, review this week's Learning Resources. Reflect on how you may use the dataset to perform statistical procedures in SPSS. Complete the worksheet provided in this week's Learning Resources.

The Assignment
Complete the Week 2 Assignment Worksheet using the Excel dataset provided by the instructor. Be sure that your completed worksheet contains the SPSS codebook for your data file, your responses to all questions, and all of the required SPSS output.

Assignment 2: Journal Article Review

Selecting statistical measures can be challenging because each situation may be different. As you review your learning resources this week, you will become familiar with several statistical measures such as measures of central location, variability, standard deviation, box plots and much more.
For this Assignment, revisit the journal article from last week.

The Assignment (1-2 pages)
- Summarize the major results of the study
- Describe the information presented in tables and/or graphs
- Briefly summarize the major conclusions of the study

Discussion: Optional Study Group Discussion (SGD)

Whether you are assisting your colleagues or asking for assistance, it is recommended you participate in the SGDs each week, with an initial post intended to spark a conversation and then through interacting with your colleagues'.

To prepare

Review the Learning Resources for this week and reflect on any concepts or material that you found interesting or challenging for discussion with your colleagues.

By Day 5

Ask and answer questions, collaborating with your peers to gain a robust understanding of the concepts presented in the Discussion or Assignments for the week.

This post, and future SGD posts for this course, should be written to spark discussion among your colleagues. In other words, your post should not contain a statement of fact or a list of solutions to the exercises. Do not be afraid to ask for help, and do not be hesitant to offer it. Remember to conduct yourself professionally and patiently with your colleagues.

By Day 7

Engage in discussion with your colleagues by contributing multiple meaningful, substantive ideas, suggestions, and insights on the focus topic. Present your written contributions in a polished, professional manner.

Your Final Project report is due in Week 11. You will explore the Final Project datasets provided in the Course Information tab and select one database that includes both an independent and dependent variable that relates to a public health topic of interest. You will develop a problem statement (or research question) related to your topic and chosen data set/variables and then follow the steps of the research process to address that problem (answer your research question).

Although the final report is due in Week 11, you will submit certain components of the Final Project in specific weeks during the term and will receive feedback that you will incorporate into your final report. The Final Project will consist of the following parts to be completed during the weeks noted below.

- Topic, Statement of the Problem, and Annotated Bibliography (2-3 pages)- Week 4
- Literature Review, Hypothesis, and Significance (2-3 pages)-Week 6
- Methods (1 page)-Week 7
- Results (2-4 pages)-Week 9
- Final Report: includes re-submission of some previous components (7-10 pages total)-Week 11
o Section I: Introduction (3 pages)
o Section II: Methodology (1 page)
o Section III: Results (2-4 pages)
o Section IV: Conclusions and Discussion (1-2 pages)
o Appendices
o References

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