SPSS

Statistics instructors currently have a wide variety of statistical software programs to

use for instructional purposes. However, the majority of published research examining
the utility and effectiveness of statistical software programs have focused on SPSS. For
example, soon after the introduction of SPSS for Windows, arp !"##$% provided
several pedagogical tools !lectures, papers, presentations, and SPSS exercises% for
incorporating SPSS into an upper division statistics course in sociology. arp asserted
that the introduction of SPSS into the classroom provided students with a tool that
&enhances their learning experience by allowing them to engage the material actively
and analytically' !p. ()*%.
+olins,y !(**"% reported several strategies using SPSS to encourage active learning
in an introductory statistics course. First, she encouraged students to examine data
using SPSS. -he goal was to give students the opportunity to independently discover
and master
statistical principles using real.world data. Second, the class spent time completing
inductive reasoning exercises such as understanding SPSS.generated scatterplots.
-hird, all assessment measures !e.g., exams, assignments% re/uired that students
examine and interpret a meaningful set of data. Students reported that they spent less
time memori0ing facts and more time understanding the material. 1n addition, students
reported increased self.confidence due to their ability to solve statistical problems using
SPSS.
However, not all courses that benefit from SPSS are statistical in nature. For
example, 2nderson !"##*% utili0ed SPSS to enhance his introduction to sociology
course. He created six assignments designed to accent specific aspects of the course
!e.g., sex role differences, attitudes towards abortion, urbani0ation%. 3y creating a
custom shell and 32S14 interface, 2nderson minimi0ed the learning curve associated
with this early version of SPSS. 2fter three semesters of this course, 2nderson found
that students had less computer anxiety and were more apt to create innovative variable
analyses when given unstructured assignments.
5ne of the primary reasons why instructors attempt to incorporate SPSS into their
introductory statistics courses is the desire to create an active learning environment.
However, this goal can be difficult to achieve. 1nstructors need to spend considerable
time and effort creating assignments, finding data sets, and developing class exercises
designed to foster active learning. Fortunately, educational software developers have
created programs designed to assist instructors meet these goals.