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Assignment #1

Due on: February 18, 2024 @11:59 pm

Total Marks: 40

Application of Concepts Using SPSS

Assignments are to be submitted to the Assignment #1 folder on Quercus

In this section you will use SPSS to complete all analyses. The dataset (“Sesame Street.sav”) contains information for n=240 cases. Before beginning any analysis, your final sample must be determined. Randomly select 10 cases, write down the case ID numbers, and then delete these cases from your datafile. Do not select all 10 in a row. Keep track of the case ID numbers, and report these at the beginning of your paper so that it is clear which cases were removed. The cases you select should not be the same as those selected by another student in the class. Do not renumber the case ID’s, leave these as they appear in the original dataset. These codes each represent a particular case and should not be altered. Your final sample should have n=230 cases.

A description of the data can be found at the end of this document. 

Instructions:

The following is a list of tasks you will need to complete in SPSS using the data provided:

1. Review the codebook provided in the Description of Data and the information in the Variable View of SPSS to determine if the assigned scale of measurement for each variable is accurate. Please make note of any changes you made as you will need to communicate those changes to me in your response to this section (6 points).

2. Assign values to all categorical variables according to the codebook. (5 points)

3. Identify and produce appropriate descriptives (frequency, measures of central tendency, deviations, graphical displays) for ONE categorical variables in the datafile. Please remember that your choice of descriptives depends on the measurement scale. Explore and comment (5 points).

4. Identify and produce appropriate descriptives (frequency, measures of central tendency, deviations, graphical displays) for ONE continuous. Please remember that your choice of descriptives depends on the measurement scale (3 points). You also need to include answers to the following questions:

a. what is the shape of each distribution based on visual inspection of the graphs? (2 points)

b. what conclusion can you draw about the symmetry of these distribution by comparing the size of the central tendency measures and examining the graphs for these variables? Explain the reasons for your answer. (2 points)

5. Use the CROSSTABS command in SPSS to explore the relationships among the categorical variables in your data. You do not need to explore every single relationship but think of one that might be most meaningful or interesting. Please provide detailed comment on your observation (4 points).

6. Choose two categorical variables:

· one with only two categories and Use the SPLIT FILE command with this categorical variable and then run appropriate descriptives for one continuous variable. (4 points)

· one with more than two categories. Use the SPLIT FILE command with this categorical variable and then run appropriate descriptives for one continuous variable. (4 points)

This means you will be running two separate sets of descriptive analyses for each of the categorical variables chosen. Please remember to take the SPLIT FILE OFF once you have completed this task. Please comment on your observation.

**As you work through this section of the assignment to each task some of the SPSS procedures completed may have been done through trial and error as you become familiar and comfortable with the program. However, once you are satisfied that you have successfully completed each task assigned, please make sure that the syntax and output provided from SPSS matches these tasks only. In other words, please submit an organized and clean SPSS syntax and output file (4 points).

Deliverables:

o Submit your assignment in one MS Word or PDF file to Quercus.

o Prior to uploading your file, please include your name in the saved documents.

o Your assignment should include:

o Written interpretation of the findings from descriptive analyses. This may include (but is not limited to) meaningful/interesting/problematic observations or patterns in your data. Any ideas, speculations, and questions that you may have about your data. In other words, tell me a story about your data, pretend that I have no prior knowledge about your data and you want to report the results of your descriptive analyses in such a way that I can understand the nature of the variables.

o SPSS output and syntax. (Your output should include syntax lines with comments, please copy/paste the relevant contents of this file and add to your interpretation).

Example for formatting

1. Crosstabulations

Sex and Setting

CROSSTABS

  /TABLES=eyecolor BY sex

  /FORMAT=AVALUE TABLES

  /CELLS=COUNT ROW

  /COUNT ROUND CELL.

You should explain your observation and interpretation of the findings that are noticeable after each output.  

Sesame Street Research Project:

The television series Sesame Street is concerned mainly with teaching preschool skills to children age 3-5, with special emphasis on reaching economically disadvantaged children.  The show is designed to hold young childrens' attention through action oriented, short duration presentations teaching specific preschool cognitive skills and some social skills. Each show is one hour and involves much repetition of concepts within and across shows.  
Does Sesame Street help economically disadvantaged children 'catch-up' with economically advantaged children?  In the early 1970s, researchers at Educational Testing Service (the company that runs the SAT) ran a study to evaluate Sesame Street.   The researchers sampled children representative of economically advantaged and disadvantaged populations from five different sites in the United States.  To ensure the study contained a group of children that watched Sesame Street regularly, they randomly assigned children either to receive encouragement to watch Sesame Street or not to receive encouragement.  Those assigned to encouragement were given promotional materials, and received weekly visits and phone calls from ETS staff.  Those assigned not to receive encouragement did not get this attention. The children were tested on a variety of cognitive variables, including knowledge of body parts, knowledge about letters, knowledge about numbers, etc., both before and after viewing the series.

Does Sesame Street help economically disadvantaged children 'catch-up' with economically advantaged children?  

In the early 1970s, researchers at Educational Testing Service (the company that runs the SAT) ran a study to evaluate Sesame Street.  The researchers sampled children representative of economically advantaged and disadvantaged populations from five different sites in the United States.  To ensure the study contained a group of children that watched Sesame Street regularly, they randomly assigned children either to receive encouragement to watch Sesame Street or not to receive encouragement.  Those assigned to encouragement were given promotional materials, and received weekly visits and phone calls from ETS staff.  Those assigned not to receive encouragement did not get this attention.

Description of Data: This data is part of a large data set that evaluated the impact of the first year of the Sesame Street television series. Sesame Street was concerned mainly with teaching preschool related skills to children in the 3-5 year age range, with special emphasis on reaching 4 year old disadvantaged children. The format of the show was designed to hold young children’s attention through action oriented, short duration presentations teaching specific preschool cognitive skills and some social skills. Each show was one hour and involved much repetition of concepts within and across shows. 

A main concern for the evaluation, which was carried out at Educational Testing Service, was that it would permit generalization to the populations of children of most interest to the producers of the program (the Children’s Television Workshop). Five populations were of interest: 

1. Three to five year old disadvantaged children from inner city areas in various parts of the country. 

2. Four year old advantaged suburban children. 

3. Advantaged rural children. 

4. Disadvantaged rural children. 

5. Disadvantaged Spanish speaking children. 

Children representative of these populations were sampled from five different sites in the United States. Both before and after viewing the series the children were tested on a variety of cognitive variables (variables 8 through 19 in the data set), including knowledge of body parts, knowledge about letters, knowledge about numbers, etc.

The variables in the dataset are listed and described below.