What is SPSS?
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is the most widely used statistical software in academic research, especially in education, social sciences, and business. It allows you to enter data, perform statistical analyses, and generate reports.
SPSS Interface: Two Views
1. Variable View
This is where you define your variables (columns). Each row represents one variable:
| Property | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Variable name (no spaces, max 64 chars) | Q1, Age, Gender |
| Type | Data type | Numeric, String |
| Width | Number of characters | 8 |
| Decimals | Decimal places | 0 for Likert, 2 for scores |
| Label | Full description of the variable | "Job satisfaction level" |
| Values | Code meanings for categorical variables | 1=Male, 2=Female |
| Measure | Level of measurement | Scale, Ordinal, Nominal |
2. Data View
This is where you enter the actual data. Each row = one respondent, each column = one variable.
Setting Up Variables for a Survey
For a typical survey with demographic questions and Likert-scale items:
Step 1: Define Demographic Variables
- Gender: Name=Gender, Type=Numeric, Values: 1=Male, 2=Female, Measure=Nominal
- Age: Name=Age, Type=Numeric, Measure=Scale (or Ordinal if using ranges)
- Education: Name=Education, Type=Numeric, Values: 1=Bachelor, 2=Master, 3=PhD, Measure=Ordinal
Step 2: Define Likert Scale Items
- Name: Q1, Q2, Q3... (or D1_Q1, D1_Q2 for dimension-based naming)
- Label: Full text of the question
- Values: 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3=Neutral, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree
- Measure: Ordinal (or Scale for analysis purposes)
Data Entry Tips
- Number questionnaires before distributing (ID column)
- Enter data in one session if possible to reduce errors
- Double-check a random sample of entries
- Use Analyze → Descriptive Statistics → Frequencies to spot out-of-range values
- Save your file frequently (.sav format)
Creating Computed Variables
After data entry, you need to compute dimension averages:
Transform → Compute Variable
Dim1_Avg = MEAN(Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5)
This creates a new variable representing the average score for Dimension 1.
Practice: Open SPSS, create a new file with 3 demographic variables and 10 Likert-scale items. Enter data for 5 imaginary respondents.