Cronbach's Alpha

· Required Resources

· Course Text: Research Methods in the Social Sciences

· Chapter 11, "Questionnaire Construction"

· Chapter 18, "Index Construction and Scaling Methods" In Chapter 11, you will learn how to construct a questionnaire, including content, types, sequence, and format of questions and avoiding bias. In Chapter 18, you will learn about index construction and scaling methods.

· Course Text: Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics

· Chapter 17, "Exploratory Factor Analysis" (pp. 665–719) This excerpt from Chapter 17 explains how to conduct a reliability analysis on SPSS using Cronbach's alpha

· Choose a test in the Field text that was not covered in this course. You will discuss your chosen test in this week's Application 2

· Website: Trochim, W. M. K. (2006). Scaling. Retrieved from http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/scaling.php This website provides a definition and an overview of scaling, including equal-appearing interval scaling, "summative" scaling, and "cumulative" scaling.

· Website: Buchner, A., Faul, F., & Erdfelder, E. (n.d.) G*Power. Retrieved January 29, 2010, from http://www.gpower.hhu.de The G*Power website explains the purpose and features of G*Power and allows users to download the program. Downloading any software from a site that is not the official site of the software creator can cause issues. There are a variety of sites from which you can download G*Power, beyond the one provided in this course. These sites are safe. However, the software that is bundled with the installers can be more or less annoying, and can often introduce you to additional (harmless) software. This software should not be mistaken for viruses. In fact, if you are very careful, you can completely avoid installing any other software, but to do that, you must read carefully every screen that is presented in the installation process. In the case of G*Power, you can avoid any problems by downloading the software from the original site: http://www.gpower.hhu.de

· Website: StatSoft. (2010). Nonparametric statistics. Retrieved from http://www.statsoft.com/textbook/nonparametric-statistics/ This website provides an overview of nonparametric statistics procedures, including the purpose of each and when each would best be used.

· Website:Plonsky, M. (2009). Nonparametric statistics. Retrieved from http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/stat/14/nonparm.htm This website provides an introduction to nonparametric statistics, including chi square.

· Handout: Statistics Application Evaluation Criteria (Word document) This handout will guide you in completing and submitting your Cronbach's alpha Application Assignment for this week.

· Handout: Final Project Evaluation Criteria (Word document) This handout provides a grading rubric for your research study proposal Final Project.

· Software: IBM SPSS Statistics Standard GradPack (current version). Available in Windows and Macintosh versions. Please refer to the IBM SPSS Software area on the left navigation bar for more information on how to install, register, and license this software. You will use this software to complete the Application Assignment for this week.

Research Toolkit

Research Design

· Website: Web Center for Social Research Methods http://www.socialresearchmethods.net This website is for people involved in applied social research and evaluation. You will find several resources and links to other locations on the web that deal in applied social research methods.

· Website: Cengage Research Methods Workshops http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/workshops/resch_wrk.html This website offers many useful workshop topics such as experimental methods, reliability and validity, surveys, sampling methods, ethical issues, and evaluating published research.

Statistics and SPSS

· Website: SPSS Solutions for Education: Student Resources http://www-01.ibm.com/software/analytics/spss/academic/students/resources.html The SPSS student support site provides a knowledgebase and allows students to request assistance from SPSS Technical Support staff. Since this site is produced and maintained by the creators of the PASW software, it is the best place to go when you have a question about the software.

· Website: UCLA's 'What Statistical Analysis Should I Use?' Table http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/mult_pkg/whatstat/default.htm This statistics table shows general guidelines for choosing a statistical analysis, and links showing how to do such tests using SAS, Stata and PASW. This is a good place to go if you are not sure which statistical test would best answer the research question you have.

· Website: Statistics Hell http://www.statisticshell.com/html/apf.html This site is Andy Field's (the author of the main course text) online statistics resource. This site provides additional explanations beyond the textbook and more examples. This is the best place to go when you are confused about how to do a particular test.

· Website: Cengage Statistics Workshops http://www.wadsworth.com/psychology_d/templates/student_resources/workshops/stats_wrk.html This website offers many useful workshop topics such as experimental methods, reliability and validity, surveys, sampling methods, ethical issues, and evaluating published research.

Optional Resources

· Text: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

· Chapter 5, "Displaying Results"