I finally managed to finish my MA dissertation on political blogs in the UK. As many of my observations and hypotheses are based on quantitative data, I used SPSS/PASW to calculate comparable statistics. It is one of the most powerful and versatile pieces of software for such purposes. However, it is not very easy to use and might repel some users at first.
Various books on the issue exist, which can significantly differ in their quality: Some are endeavoring to explain the very complex statistical mathematics step by step, to make them easily replicable. Others presume that the reader already has an elaborated knowledge of statistics and the formulas as well as terms in use. During my research I read through both kinds of books and I will list here two very useful introductions:
Field, Andy P. (2009) Discovering Statistics Using SPSS. Los Angeles & London: Sage.
This very comprehensive monograph explains everything about statistics in SPSS from the very basics. Field uses a comprehensive language, lots of illustrative examples, and succeeds in explaining the prosaic issue in an entertaining, humorous way. He elucidates quite eloquently the most important mathematical operations behind each step before he shows how to implement a certain type of statistical processing via SPSS/PASW. The ideal handbook for every person who wants/needs to deal with this program.
Bryman, Allan/Cramer, Duncan (2005) Quantitative Data Analysis With SPSS: A Guide for Social Scientists. London: Routledge.
As the title suggests, this book introduces SPSS for sociologists. Hence, it is applicable to certain branches of communication- and media studies, too. Though not fully ‘up-to-date’, the explanations for using SPSS in specific social science research projects are clear and convertible. Cramer and Duncan’s tone is more sober and less casual than Field’s style of writing. Nevertheless, this book is far easier to comprehend for beginners and non-staticians than many of its counterparts.
Moreover, there are various online sources. One notable example are the video tutorials provided by Central Michigan University (CMU) – these clips show beginners step-by-step how to use the software and solve statistical problems. Check them out here.
Dennis Nguyen 