Sarah Sloans.sloan@griffith.edu.au

Types of Scales – Surveys & data

Market Research:

What type of research are we doing?

» Quantitative or Qualitative?» Exploratory, descriptive or causal?

SPSS process

1. Collect Data2. Define Variables3. Enter/Import data4. Clean the data file5. Analyse the data6. Scrutinise the output7. If changes are needed, repeat the steps

Welcome to SPSS

» Open SPSS program» Also open SPSS data file » What are the rows for?

˃ Each case is awarded a row. Eg. each person that answers a survey

» What are the columns for? ˃ Each variable. Eg. Male or Female

» A short introduction to SPSS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msI7xf0tInE

Data Analysis Begins!

» Data analysis» We need to know what type of data we have to

work with, so we know what analyses we can run

Types of Scales

» A scale is any series of items that are arranged progressively according to value or magnitude, into which an item can be placed according to it’s quantification.

» Higher levels of measurement have all the properties of lower levels of measurement.

Ratio

Interval

Ordinal

Nominal

Types of Scales

» Nominal Scale: a scale in which numbers or letters assigned to objects serve as labels for identification or classification˃ Eg. Yes/NO˃ Male/Female

» Ordinal scale: a scale that arranges objects or alternatives according to their magnitude in an ordered relationship˃ Highest level of school completed (high school >TAFE > university)

Types of Scales

» Interval Scale: arranges objects according to their magnitudes and distinguishes this ordered arrangement in equal units of measurement˃ A winning horse is 2 lengths ahead of the horse that came second

» Ratio Scales: Has absolute rather than relative quantities and an absolute zero.˃ Both money and weight are measured with ratio scales, both have

absolute zeros and interval properties. (eg. $80).

What can we do with this data?

Type of Scale Example Numerical operation Descriptive Statistics

Nominal Yes/NoFemale/malePostcode

Counting FrequenciesMode

Ordinal RankingsLevel of education (high school, tafe, uni)

Counting and rank ordering

FrequenciesModeMedian Range

Interval Most attitude scalesEg. agree – disagree 5 point scale

Arithmetic operations that preserve order and relative magnitude

MeanMedianStandard DeviationVariance

Ratio Amount purchasedTime spent on webpageNumber of stored visited

All arithmetic MeanMedianStandard deviationVariance

Example from your survey

Strongly disagree Disagree Somewhat disagree

Somewhat agree Agree

Strongly agree

Life is what you make of it. 1 2 3 4 5 6

A good life is primarily a matter of good fortune. 1 2 3 4 5 6

If you know what you want out of life, you will find it. 1 2 3 4 5 6

If you are unhappy with life you should do something about it. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Getting the life you desire is mostly a matter of luck. 1 2 3 4 5 6

What type of scale is this? What analysis could we do?

Example from your survey

Strongly disagree Disagree Somewhat disagree

Somewhat agree Agree

Strongly agree

Life is what you make of it. 1 2 3 4 5 6

A good life is primarily a matter of good fortune. 1 2 3 4 5 6

If you know what you want out of life, you will find it. 1 2 3 4 5 6

If you are unhappy with life you should do something about it. 1 2 3 4 5 6

Getting the life you desire is mostly a matter of luck. 1 2 3 4 5 6

What type of scale is this?

INTERVAL

What analysis could we do?

MeanMedianStandard DeviationVariance

» Have you ever donated to a charitable organisation? (Please tick)

» » ___ YES ___ NO

Example from your survey

What type of scale is this? What analysis could we do?

Example from your survey» Have you ever donated to a charitable

organisation? (Please tick)» » ___ YES ___ NO

What type of scale is this? What analysis could we do?

NOMINAL FrequenciesMode

Contact me

» If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me –

» @happy_chappy89 on twitter» s.sloan[at]griffith.edu.au» Visit my online resume to learn more about my

work˃ sarahsloanbio.wordpress.com

» Visit my blog for university students:˃ http://academicwonderings.wordpress.com/