January 1984 // Volume 22 // Number 1 // Tools of the Trade // 1TOT2
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Calculating Statistics
Abstract
How To Calculate Statistics. Carol TaylorFitz-Gibbon and Lynn Lyons Morris. Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications, 1978. 139 pp. $8.50.
This book uses a workbook format to present examples, worksheets, and instructions
for calculating and interpreting 14 statistical techniques, and for determining
when the techniques are appropriate. The techniques are divided intc three sections:
- How to summarize evaluation results using graphs, means, variances, and standard deviations. All terms are well-defined.
- How to use tests of significance to determine if reported results are likely to have occurred by chance. Descriptions, examples, and worksheet are provided for the t-test, Mann-Whitney U-Test, Sign Test, and confidence limits.
- Statistical procedures to examine relationships between/among measures of interest. The chisquare and five different types of correlation coefficients are examined.
Also included is a brief description on how to use a canned program (software package) entitled "Statistical Package for the Social Sciences" (SPSS) in computer-assisted data analysis.
For those who have been in the position of having conducted an evaluation study only to be confused about how to interpret the results, this book may prove to be a valuable tool. It was written for and by those who evaluate educational programs. Its purpose is to help individuals improve their ability to statistically analyze the results of evaluation studies.
While the book is written primarily for individuals with little or no knowledge of statistics, its coverage of the most basic commonly used statistical techniques can provide a handy reference for those with more advanced knowledge of statistics.
How To Calculate Statistics is an excellent introductory textbook for overcoming a most difficult barrier-how to analyze evaluation results.
References
Marketing Cooperative Extension. Bob Topor. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Media Services, 1982. 45 pp. $2.27 in New York, $3.25 out of state.
How To Calculate Statistics. Carol TaylorFitz-Gibbon and
Lynn Lyons Morris. Beverly Hills, California: Sage Publications, 1978. 139 pp.
$8.50.