Unit name | Multivariate Statistical Methods in Education |
---|---|
Unit code | EDUCM5507 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Professor. Liz Washbrook |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
Familiarity with basic statistics and the SPSS software (as covered in EDUCM0003 Introduction to Quantitative Methods in the Social Sciences / EDUCM5504 Statistics in Education, but students may have covered the required material on similar statistics units elsewhere). |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
The unit will introduce students to the uses of and interpretations of multivariate statistical methods. The philosophy of the course is that students learn more about inferential statistics by carrying them out using a real data set than by trying to learn statistical theory from first principles. Statistics covered include: analysis of variance, simple and multiple linear regression, multivariate techniques of factor analysis and multilevel modelling.
The unit aims to:
Upon successful completion of this unit students will be able to demonstrate that they:
Lectures, computer practicals using SPSS software, critical reading and discussion of published quantitative articles
Formative assessment:
Weekly worksheets will be provided in which students attempt a statistical analysis task. Annotated answers to the original worksheet will then be provided for students, allowing them to check their progress.
Summative assessment:
Students will provided with a selection of prepared datasets and/or statistical outputs. In a structured assignment with a number of sections, students will be required to identify the appropriate method for statistical analysis for a given research question and dataset, conduct that analysis in an appropriate software package, present the results in the format of an academic report, and give a critical interpretation of the findings (4,000 words). ILOs 1-4.
Field A. (2013) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS (4th Edition) London, Sage
Miles, J. & Shevlin, M. (2001). Applying Regression & Correlation: A Guide for Students and Researchers. Sage Publications Ltd.
Modules 1 to 5 of the LEMMA on-line multilevel modelling on-line course: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cmm/learning/online-course/course-topics.html
Taylor, Alan (2004). A Brief Introduction to Factor Analysis. http://www.psy.mq.edu.au/psystat/other/FactorAnalysis.PDF