Basic Quantitative Analysis (BQA-1)

PrerequisitesUpdated

The SSRMC Administrator will make all bookings for this module. If you would like to follow the module you must complete the SSRMC skills audit or have successfully completed the Foundations in Applied Statistics (FiAS) module before a place can be booked for you.

This module is part of the Social Science Research Methods Centre training programme which is a shared platform for providing research students with a broad range of quantitative and qualitative research methods skills that are relevant across the social sciences.

This module introduces students to four of the most commonly used statistical tests in the social sciences: correlation, chi-square tests, t-tests, and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Building upon the univariate techniques introduced in the Foundations in Applied Statistics module, these sessions aim to provide students with a thorough understanding of statistical methods designed to test associations between two variables (bivariate statistics). Students will learn about the assumptions underlying each test, and will receive practical instruction on how to generate and interpret bivariate results using Rstudio.

• Mphil and PhD students from participating departments taking the Social Science Research Methods Centre training programme as part of their research degree

• Successful completion of Foundations in Applied Statistics, and/or previous training in introductory level statistics (verified by the SSRMC Skills Audit)
• Assigned readings should be completed prior to the session for which they are listed (see the teaching schedule on the SSRMC website)
• Everything on this checklist... [please read this!]

Number of sessions: 4

• Session 1: Correlation
• Session 2: Chi-square
• Session 3: T-tests
• Session 4: ANOVA

• The objective is to learn of the assumptions underlying each test
• To receive practical instruction on how to generate and interpret bivariate results using R

• To study four most commonly used statistical tests in social sciences: Correlations;Chi-square tests; T-tests and One-way ANOVAS

Presentations, demonstrations and practicals

R on MCS

• Weekly (optional) online class tests
• One final online assessment [optional, dependent upon department]
• The SSRMC encourages all students to take the assessment

Field, A. et al (2012) Discovering Statistics using R. London: Sage.

• To gain maximum benefits from the course it is important that students do not see this course in isolation from the other MPhil courses or research training they are taking.
• Responsibility lies with each student to consider the potential for their own research using methods common in fields of the social sciences that may seem remote. Ideally this task will be facilitated by integration of the SSRMC with discipline-specific courses in their departments and through reading and discussion.

Four sessions of two hours

Once a week for four weeks