PSYC 355 LAB PROJECT PHASE 2 - RAW DATA SCORING INSTRUCTIONS How to Create SPSS Data File Open a new data file in SPSS. You will create a file containing 1 variable for each item (question) on the survey (for a total of 10). You will score each individual survey and enter the values into the appropriate column of the SPSS data file for later analysis. How to Score Survey and Enter Results into Data File All questions on the survey except the last one are written as Likert-type items, with choices ranging from \"Strongly agree\" to \"Strongly disagree.\" In order to enter these into the data file for analysis, each of the answer choices will be given a corresponding score ranging from 1 to 5. NOTE: It is important to pay attention to the following directions, as some of the items will be reverse-scored (see below). 1. Gather your completed surveys. It will be necessary to enter data from each individual survey into SPSS. If you have used the online method, you must follow these steps to access each individual survey: a) Sign into your account and go to \"My Surveys.\" Your survey title will appear with 3 icons to the right: Design, Collect, and Analyze. Click on the pie graph under \"Analyze.\" This will take you to a Response Summary page. b) On the menu bar to the left, click on \"Browse Responses.\" This allows you to view each individual survey, which is necessary in order to enter and analyze data in SPSS. Within \"Browse Responses,\" you can move from one individual survey to the next by clicking on the \"Next\" and \"Prev\" arrow buttons at the top. 2. All items on the survey will be scored from 1 to 5 except for item 10. You will enter the scores for each survey in rows (survey 1 in row 1, survey 2 in row 2, etc.). If you have 10 surveys, you will have 10 cases (rows), if you have 25 surveys, 25 cases (rows), etc. a) Scores for items 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 are as follows: Strongly agree = 5 Agree = 4 Neither agree nor disagree = 3 Disagree = 2 Strongly disagree = 1 b) Scores for items 4 and 6 are reversed. This is because, in opposition to the other items, these items indicate a fundamentally different worldview than the Christian worldview, so the scoring must be reversed; this allows higher scores on all items to reflect an understanding of Christian doctrine, while lower scores indicate misunderstanding or disagreement. This is a method commonly used in survey research. c) Scores for items 4 and 6 are as follows: Strongly agree = 1 Agree = 2 Neither agree nor disagree = 3 Disagree = 4 Strongly disagree = 5 Page 1 of 2 PSYC 355 d) For item 10, you will simply enter the exact number that the respondent filled in on the survey (for example, 10 or 63, etc.) under the appropriate variable in the SPSS data file. 3. Remember that the original research question is about the relationship between church attendance and understanding of Christian doctrine. We have one variable that represents church attendance (item 10), but we do not have one sole variable to compare it toa total score that represents doctrinal understanding. To create this total score variable: After you have entered all of your survey data, create a new variable called Tot_Und (which is shorthand for \"total understanding\"). In this column, enter the sum of items 1-9 for each survey. If you have a large number of cases, see Green and Salkind Lesson 19, Section \"Creating Variables: Creating Overall Scale from Variables with the Same Metric and No Reverse Scaling\" for a quicker method of creating this variable. 4. This SPSS data file is due on the date mentioned in the general lab instructions and Course Schedule/Course Content. Refer to the \"Lab Project Overview and Instructions\" in addition to this document when completing this phase. Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4. Page 2 of 2 PSYC 355 LAB PROJECT OVERVIEW AND INSTRUCTIONS It is very important that students of statistics know how to choose the correct analysis for a given research question, collect the data, run the test, interpret the results, and present them in written form. This lab will require you to apply what you have learned over several weeks in the course, collect data, choose and run the correct analysis, interpret results, and present the findings in a short Results section in current APA style. (Results sections are covered in both of the course texts within each chapter.) The lab is divided into phases, with certain tasks due at different times throughout the course. It is very important to turn work in on time at each of the due dates, as the later sections of the lab depend on work performed in the earlier sections. Research Question and Background An article in the Baptist Message newsletter (Quarles, 8/18/2011) presents selected results of a survey given to entering college freshmen every year at Louisiana College. This instrument measures the orthodoxy of Christian beliefs, or, in other words, how well a person understands the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. Quarles comments that, although many students who take the survey report attending church regularly, the number of students who understand basic Christian doctrine is surprisingly low. In this lab, the intention is to research this issue further by directly examining the following research question: Is there a relationship between frequency of church attendance and the level of understanding of basic Christian doctrine? Phase 1: Background Reading and Discussion Board Forum Assignment Read the excerpt from the original article (Quarles, 2011) located in the Reading and Study folder of Module/Week 3. Then, respond to the following prompts: 1. Summarize the excerpt in several sentences. Include in your summary a list of the main Christian doctrines that students are failing to understand. 2. Think about the research question, "Is there a relationship between frequency of church attendance and the level of understanding of basic Christian doctrine?" In order to conduct a study, a psychologist must first establish the null and research hypotheses that will guide the research design and data analysis. (The types of hypotheses are reviewed in Module/Week 1.) Based on the given research question and your reading, state a null hypothesis and a research hypothesis (otherwise known as an alternative hypothesis) for the Lab Project. 3. Share your thoughts; based on your own opinion, what do you predict the results of such a study might be? These prompts also appear in the Discussion Board Forum. Submit your thread by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module/Week 3. Submit your replies by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of the same module/week. Page 1 of 3 PSYC 355 Phase 2: Raw Data Scoring You will collect data from at least 12 people, using a survey that is provided in the Lab Project folder found in the Assignment Instructions folder. This folder also contains documents outlining the instructions regarding anonymity and rights of the participants, as well as how to administer the surveyit is important that you follow these guidelines while collecting data. The only precondition to participating in the survey is that participants must be at least 15 years old; otherwise, participants can be of any gender, race, religious background, etc. It is important to emphasize that the results of the survey are anonymous by pointing out the instructions at the top of the survey. For your information as a student, the questions on the survey are derived from instruments used in published studies of orthodox Christian beliefs, including Francis, Williams, & Robbins (2010) and Kaldor & Francis (2000). The survey is limited to 10 questions due to length limitations placed by online survey services. Do not add or remove any questions when administering the survey. Once you have data from at least 12 individuals (you can have morein fact, the more the better!), you must score the surveys and enter the data into an SPSS file. Directions for scoring the surveys and creating the SPSS file are included under the Lab Project Phase 2 section in the Lap Project folder found in the Assignment Instructions folder. Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4. Phase 3: SPSS Output Your next job is to choose the type of analysis that best answers the research question based on the type of data available. Hint: Due to the brief nature of the course, the statistical test appropriate for this lab is one that is covered sometime during the first 5 modules/weeks. This will give you enough time to reflect on information you have already learned and run the analysis. More specific directions for the data analysis are included in the Lab Project Phase 3 section in the Lap Project folder found in the Assignment Instructions folder. To complete this phase of the lab, you must choose the appropriate statistical analysis, run the test using your SPSS data file, and turn in the following: 1. SPSS output 2. The appropriate related SPSS graph Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 6. Phase 4: APA Results It is time to present your findings. During this phase, you will write a short Results section in current APA style that presents the results of your statistical test as well as interprets these results in light of the research question. The Results section must be 1-2 paragraphs must include: 1. The results of your analysis, including the value of the appropriate test statistic, the significance level, and any other pertinent information (sample size, etc.). Page 2 of 3 PSYC 355 2. Several sentences that interpret these results, including the following information: Were the results significant or not? Do these results lead you to accept or reject the null hypothesis? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the statistical test that was used? Are there any characteristics of the sample or the data collection method that should be taken into consideration when interpreting these results that you would mention briefly to the reader? Remember that the Results section is not a Discussion section. Therefore, it is NOT the place to make any wide-ranging statements about doctrine in general, how surprised (or not surprised) you are by the results, whether they correspond with other research, etc. You will have a chance in the last phase of the lab to share your thoughts and insights, but remember for this phase that Results sections focus on data. Use the sections in your textbooks as guides concerning content and style. You can also use the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association as a guide (if you have one), or visit this website for more guidance: http://web.psych.washington.edu/writingcenter/writingguides/pdf/stats.pdf Submit this assignment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 7. Phase 5: Discussion Board Forum 2 The final phase of the lab gives you a chance to reflect on the results you obtained and share your thoughts with the class. You have collected the data, run the tests, and presented the results now you can step back and think about what it might mean. 1. Was there any sort of relationship between church attendance and sound doctrinal belief based on your data set? Remember, each of you may have gotten different results, so there is no right or wrong answer. Do these results match your initial prediction from Discussion Board Forum 1, or are they different? 2. How generalizable do you think your results are? 3. Do the results reflect the statements made by Quarles (2011) in the excerpt you read earlier (of little relationship between the variables), or do they demonstrate something different? 4. Write about at least 1 implication these results could have for pastors, Sunday school teachers, and other church leaders. These prompts also appear in the Discussion Board Forum. Submit your thread by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Thursday of Module/Week 8. Submit your replies by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday of the same module/week. Page 3 of 3