Compassionate Statistics: Applied Quantitative Analysis for Social Services (With exercises and instructions in SPSS)

Compassionate Statistics: Applied Quantitative Analysis for Social Services (With Instructions for SPSS 14.0) is an attempt to "de-mythologize" a content area that is both essential for professional social service practitioners, yet dreaded by some of the most experienced among them. Using friendly, straightforward language as well as concrete illustrations and exercises from social service practice, author Vincent E. Faherty catapults students and experienced professionals to a pragmatic level where they can handle quantitative analysis for all their research and evaluation needs. Key Features Provides comprehensive coverage of the most important aspects of quantitative analysis: This is a complete, yet pragmatic, resource for social service professionals to use standard descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. Offers an accessible format: Using unpretentious and plain language, this book introduces essential statistical procedures, one-at-a-time, in relatively short chapters in order to assist recall and facilitate new learning. Applies statistical content to social service practice situations: Concrete applications are drawn from counseling, criminal justice, human services, social work, therapeutic recreation and vocational rehabilitation. Presents case illustrations of how statistical material is reported in professional literature: Since social service professionals need to write up the results of their quantitative analysis, this book provides actual illustrations of how the various statistical procedures and tests are presented in published articles. Addresses the use of SPSS on each covered statistical procedure and test: Specific directions are given so students can use the latest version of SPSS to complete each assigned exercise. Includes in-chapter exercises: A series of realistic data sets that students can use to perform a number of planned exercises are offered in each chapter. Intended Audience This is an excellent core or supplemental text for a variety of advanced undergraduate and graduate courses such as Statistics for Social Services, Applied Statistics, Quantitative Analysis for Social Services, Statistics for Social Work, Social Science Research, Research Methods, Program Evaluation, and Grant Writing in the departments of counseling, human services, social services, social work, therapeutic recreation, and vocational rehabilitation.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments 1. Introduction, Overview, and Nondefinitions 2. Levels of Data: Nominal, Ordinal, and Scale 3. Presenting Data in Tables 4. Presenting Data in Figures 5. The 3 Ms: Mean, Median, and Mode 6. Standard Deviations, Ranges, and Quartiles 7. Other Descriptive Statistics 8. Probability and Statistical Significance 9. Chi-Square Test of Independence 10. Correlation: Scattergrams 11. Correlation: Spearman′s rho and Pearson′s r 12. t-Test for Paired Samples 13. t-Test for Independent Samples 14. One-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) With Post Hoc Tests 15. Nonparametric Alternatives to Common Parametric Tests Appendix A: Getting Started With SPSS Appendix B: SPSS Data Sets Appendix C: Outline of Common Univariate and Bivariate Statistical Procedures Appendix D: Outline of Common Parametric and Nonparametric Inferential Tests Appendix E: Table of Random Numbers With Instructions Appendix F: Glossary of Terms Index About the Author

About the Author :
Vincent Faherty earned his doctorate in Social Work (DSW) from the University of Utah in 1976. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) from the International Management Institute of the University of Geneva (1985), a Master of Social Work degree from Fordham University (1970), and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cathedral College & Seminary (1958).  He has taught statistics and social work research methods for the past 18 years at the University of Southern Maine.  Prior to that, he taught at the University of Northern Iowa and at the University of Columbia-Missouri.