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Note on SPSS tutorials
Page last updated 27 July 2011.
The SPSS tutorials on this site are entry-level and are aimed at beginning students and trainees in social (survey) research. They are not intended to be a substitute for the tutorials and help menus available within SPSS itself, or for the several excellent SPSS textbooks currently available.
Rather than drop-down menus they use SPSS syntax (the English-like command language. my unapologetic preference, but not available in the Student Version) and adopt a gentle, step-by-step approach, with full colour screenshots at each step. They follow the natural sequence (reflected in the numbering system) of the basic operations involved in the capture, management and analysis of data from questionnaire surveys. Although syntax-based, many examples and exercises are also repeated using drop-down menus.
Since 1st April 2010 many tutorials have been revised or duplicated, and are now based on PASW 18 rather than SPSS 15. Links go to tutorials which have been revised, renamed and renumbered, but they cover the same ground. The ones for PASW 18 have been broken up into bite-sized chunks and the screenshots are also different from SPSS 15, but all the exercises also work with SPSS 15. As of March 2011 I'm working with IBM SPSS Statistics 19, but everything will work with previous versions going right back to 11.
The filename numbering indicates the sequence normally followed in the research process (as in the Marija Norusis books, 1987 -1990), by far the best SPSS textbooks for survey analysis if you can still get hold of a copy. Follow the tutorials in sequence to create your own raw data, your own SPSS syntax, your own SPSS saved files and above all your own analysis. In case you get stuck, I have also uploaded fall-back versions of all the raw data, syntax and saved files you will need.
The original Survey Analysis Workshop course programme on which these tutorials are based was constrained by what could be achieved in a three-hour timetable slot for teaching, computer lab session and follow-up discussion. With this version you can proceed at your own pace, but without the discussion unless you use the Weblog [I'm not sure if this works yet, so feel free to email me on johnfhall@orange.fr ].
The course materials also include Jim Ring's accompanying statistics notes and a range of resource resource materials such as data sets and files used in tutorials and exercises
facsimile questionnaires, and user manuals relating to the original surveys used, ranging from small local studies to major national surveys.
There are no artificial data. All materials are available for free download.
The tutorials are arranged in four main blocks:
Block 1: From questionnaire to SPSS saved file
Block 2: Analysing one variable
Block 3: Analysing two variables (and sometimes three)
Block 4: Hypothesis testing
Most tutorials were originally written in Word 1997 and 2003, but since March 2011 I have Word 2007 which can convert *.doc files to fully functioning *.pdf format. Unconverted files will be left in 2003 *.doc format, but will gradually be converted. Files in *.doc format are tagged using the following colour coding.
[Last update, *.doc, size] means Proof-read, safe to print
[Last update, *.doc, size] means Final draft, but needs proof-reading
[Last update, *.doc, size] means Draft only: contents need checking and links verifying.
Now go to Guide to SPSS tutorials.
[NB: Some pages for SPSS 18 (and now 19) are still being prepared and are subject to changes until I get them all in and the links verified: as of today they seem OK apart from the three "conditional frequencies" items in Block 2. All new and revised tutorials will use SPSS 19: the screenshots and output may look different but the syntax will still work with earlier releases]
The SPSS tutorials on this site are entry-level and are aimed at beginning students and trainees in social (survey) research. They are not intended to be a substitute for the tutorials and help menus available within SPSS itself, or for the several excellent SPSS textbooks currently available.
Rather than drop-down menus they use SPSS syntax (the English-like command language. my unapologetic preference, but not available in the Student Version) and adopt a gentle, step-by-step approach, with full colour screenshots at each step. They follow the natural sequence (reflected in the numbering system) of the basic operations involved in the capture, management and analysis of data from questionnaire surveys. Although syntax-based, many examples and exercises are also repeated using drop-down menus.
Since 1st April 2010 many tutorials have been revised or duplicated, and are now based on PASW 18 rather than SPSS 15. Links go to tutorials which have been revised, renamed and renumbered, but they cover the same ground. The ones for PASW 18 have been broken up into bite-sized chunks and the screenshots are also different from SPSS 15, but all the exercises also work with SPSS 15. As of March 2011 I'm working with IBM SPSS Statistics 19, but everything will work with previous versions going right back to 11.
The filename numbering indicates the sequence normally followed in the research process (as in the Marija Norusis books, 1987 -1990), by far the best SPSS textbooks for survey analysis if you can still get hold of a copy. Follow the tutorials in sequence to create your own raw data, your own SPSS syntax, your own SPSS saved files and above all your own analysis. In case you get stuck, I have also uploaded fall-back versions of all the raw data, syntax and saved files you will need.
The original Survey Analysis Workshop course programme on which these tutorials are based was constrained by what could be achieved in a three-hour timetable slot for teaching, computer lab session and follow-up discussion. With this version you can proceed at your own pace, but without the discussion unless you use the Weblog [I'm not sure if this works yet, so feel free to email me on johnfhall@orange.fr ].
The course materials also include Jim Ring's accompanying statistics notes and a range of resource resource materials such as data sets and files used in tutorials and exercises
facsimile questionnaires, and user manuals relating to the original surveys used, ranging from small local studies to major national surveys.
There are no artificial data. All materials are available for free download.
The tutorials are arranged in four main blocks:
Block 1: From questionnaire to SPSS saved file
Block 2: Analysing one variable
Block 3: Analysing two variables (and sometimes three)
Block 4: Hypothesis testing
Most tutorials were originally written in Word 1997 and 2003, but since March 2011 I have Word 2007 which can convert *.doc files to fully functioning *.pdf format. Unconverted files will be left in 2003 *.doc format, but will gradually be converted. Files in *.doc format are tagged using the following colour coding.
[Last update, *.doc, size] means Proof-read, safe to print
[Last update, *.doc, size] means Final draft, but needs proof-reading
[Last update, *.doc, size] means Draft only: contents need checking and links verifying.
Now go to Guide to SPSS tutorials.
[NB: Some pages for SPSS 18 (and now 19) are still being prepared and are subject to changes until I get them all in and the links verified: as of today they seem OK apart from the three "conditional frequencies" items in Block 2. All new and revised tutorials will use SPSS 19: the screenshots and output may look different but the syntax will still work with earlier releases]
