DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

AND

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS



Assignment 2




Name:______________________________

(Print clearly)

Student Number:______________________

(Social security)

E-mail:__________________________

I want to make sure everyone can "navigate" the internet, retrieve information from it, move files around, and use the data in MINITAB or SPSS. I hope these operations become second nature because they will be helpful in the course and even more so in your research and work.

  1. Suppose you were asked to write a brief report on race and attitudes toward education in America. You don't have time to conduct your own survey, but you feel there must be plenty of poll data readily available. So you first turn to the General Social Survey, a yearly poll of social, economic, and political attitudes, beliefs, and behavior. Try this:
    1. Click on Demonstration Survey Archive
    2. Click on GSS Cumulative Data File 1972-1994.
      1. Note: Don't click on the abstract
    3. Click on Browse codebook and then Start.
      1. This takes you into the codebook.
      2. Since this study has been going on for so long and involves hundreds and hundreds of variables, it contains a wealth of information.
    4. Click on Headings for Group Variables.
    5. Use the scroll bar to go up and down the page until you find Personal Concerns and then click on Race issues.
    6. Click on any of the items such as racfew.
    7. This is a code book entry that should resemble the one in Class 4 notes.
    8. Move the pointer to the start of the item, hold the left mouse button down, drag the mouse to highlight all of the text for this item, and then release the button.
    9. Then click edit and copy on your browser's menu bar.
      1. Or, far easier and faster hold the control key down and press the letter c.
      2. The key combination control-c means "copy highlighted text."
    10. Immediately press the start button (on Windows 95), go to Accessories, then to Notepad.
      1. You can start notepad in any number of ways. This is the most generic.
      2. If you wish, you can use any word processor for this purpose.
    11. When you have an open notepad window click Edit and Paste.
      1. Or press the key combination control-v, which stands for paste.
    12. Finally, open the File menu and select print.
    13. Attach a copy of the single code book entry as evidence that you can find and clip information of this sort.


  2. Suppose now that you don't have time to use the "crosstabulation" procedure of this site, which incidentally is very easy to do. But you want to make some specific comparisons by race.
    1. Use your browser to open Bureau of Educational Statistics
      1. Again, note the spelling.
    2. Click on Digest of Educational Statistics 1995.
      1. Note that you want the 1995 edition.
    3. Click on the subject index.
    4. Click on the letter B.
    5. Find Blacks and then attitudes, 138.
    6. This should take you to a table that has the answers to the following questions. Just fill in the blanks. (Do not hand in a printed copy of the table.)
      1. What percent of white 12th grade students agree or strongly agree with the statement "Discipline is fair"?___________
      2. What percent of black student agree?_______
      3. What percent of Hispanic students agree?__________
      4. Asian students?________
    7. Now what about agreement with the statement "I don't feel safe in this school"?
      1. White percent__________
      2. Black percent__________
      3. Hispanic percent________
      4. Asian percent__________
    8. Look at the other data in the table. Are there major racial/ethnic differences, at least according to these data?


  3. Try to move some data from the course web site to MINITAB.
    1. Note: you need to use a desktop machine since you will be retrieving and storing data.
    2. Go to the course web page, www.udel.edu/htr/Statistics815, then select data.
    3. Find the "Delaware-Maryland-New Jersey" data set and
      1. Move the pointer over the name and right click the mouse button. Then choose Save link as...
      2. Or, click on the name and go to the page to view the data. Then click on File and select Save As...
    4. When you see the save as dialogue box, choose a folder and disk drive to store the data.
      1. If you are using a public machine, you will want to store or keep the file on a diskette in the a: drive.
      2. If so, put a (formatted) disk in that drive and proceed.
    5. Pick a short name such as data and add the extension ".txt" (No quote marks.)
      1. Example: data.txt or socialdata.txt
    6. Then click Ok.


  4. Start MINITAB, either the full or student version.
    1. For the full version:
      1. Open the File menu to select Other Files.
      2. Select Import Special Text
      3. In the Store data in column(s) box type c1-c6, since there are six variables. Press Ok.
      4. In the Import Text File From box indicate the name and location of the file you have just retrieved.
      5. Then click OK and look for the data in the Data window.
    2. For the student version:
      1. Open the File menu and select Import Ascii Data
      2. In the Store data in column(s) box type c1-c6, since there are six variables. Press Ok.
      3. In the Import Text From File box select the name and location of the file you have just retrieved.
      4. Then click OK and look for the data in the Data window.
    3. For either version of MINITAB use "Descriptive statistics" to answer these questions.
      1. What is the average Percent of High School Graduates? (c3)________
      2. What about the average (mean) median family income? (c4)_________
      3. What are the minimum ___________ and maximum __________ values for "Number below the poverty level."
    4. Try experimenting with MINITAB and these data.



Go to Statistics 815 main page

Go to H. T. Reynolds page.