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Analyzing and Interpreting Data Handout

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Analyzing and Interpreting Data Handout
Assessment Institute
Summer 2005

This handout includes three sections:


Section 1 Descriptive Statistics Typically Used in Assessment
Section 2 Inferential Statistics Typically Used in Assessment
Section 3 Confidence Intervals and Effect Sizes
Section 4 Wellness Domain Example Information
Section 5: SPSS Comparing Means for Different Groups
Section 6: SPSS Comparing Means on Different Occasions
Section 7: SPSS - Correlation
Section 8: SPSS Comparing Means on Different Occasions for
Different Groups
Section 9: SPSS Scoring from a Key, Creating a Total Score and
Item Analysis

Section 1 Descriptive Statistics Typically Used in Assessment


There are two descriptive statistics that are used quite often for
assessment purposes:
1.
The average is perhaps the most commonly computed
statistic and we typically compare the averages of groups comprised
of different people (e.g., the average Spring 2005 KWH score for
students who completed GHTH100 versus the average Spring 2005
KWH score for students who completed GKIN100). We also compare
averages of groups comprised of the same students. This is often the
case when students have completed the same assessment on different
occasions. For instance, because the same students completed the
KWH in Fall 2003 and Spring 2005, we can compare their average on
the test prior to exposure to any JMU coursework (Fall 2003) to their
average after having completed 45 70 hours of coursework (Spring
2005).
Keep in mind that averages are only appropriate if the variable is
continuous and is not too terribly skewed. Examples of variables that are
continuous are GPA, test scores and number of credit hours. Examples of
variables that are NOT continuous include a students major, enrollment
status and gender. It is always a good idea to look at a histogram of the
variable to have a sense of the shape of the distribution and to look for
outliers.

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2.
Correlations are also typically computed. Correlations
capture the extent to which two variables are linearly related to one
another. Correlations range from -1 to 1 with values closer to |1|
being indicative of a stronger relationship between the two variables.
Positive correlations imply that high values on one variable are
associated with high values on the other variable; low values on one
variable are associated with low values on the other variable.
Negative correlations imply that high values on one variable are
associated with low values on the other variable; low values on one
variable are associated with high values on the other variable. In
order to compute a correlation between two variables, a sample must
be used that has data on each of the variables. A correlation would be
an appropriate statistic to use if one were interested in the
relationship between:
a. scores from different tests taken by the same students
b. scores from the same test taken by the same students
on different occasions
c. scores on a test and final grade in a course
d. scores on a test and GPA
When using a correlation, keep in mind that both variables used in a
correlation need to be continuous. Also, if the range of a variable is
restricted or if the relationship between the two variables is not linear, be
aware that the value of the correlation will be deflated and/or it may be
inappropriate to a correlation. Always look at a scatterplot to ensure
linearity and to identify potential outliers.
3.
If a cutoff score or standard is being used, then you will often
see the % of students scoring above or below the standard
reported.
___________________________________________________________________________
Section 2 Inferential Statistics Typically Used in Assessment
Inferential statistics are used when we are interested in knowing the
answer to the following question: How likely is it to have found results
such as mine in a population where the null hypothesis is true?
Inferential statistics are used when one wants to not only describe what
is happening in their sample, but generalize their findings to the
population.
There are three commonly used inferential tests in assessment:
1. Independent Samples t-test: When the averages of two groups
are being compared and the groups consist of different students,
the independent samples t-test is used. The null hypothesis is that

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there is no difference between the population means of the two
groups. A low p-value associated with a t-statistic indicates that it is
unlikely to find that value of t in a population where the null
hypothesis is true. When p-values are less than .05 (< .05) we
reject the null hypothesis and claim that there are statistically
significant differences between the averages of the two groups. (If
you have more than two groups, you would use a between-subjects
ANOVA.)
2. Paired Samples t-test: When the two groups consist of the same
students, a paired samples t-test is used. In assessment, this test is
typically used to compare averages from the same students who
took the test on two different occasions. Again, the null hypothesis
is that there is no difference between the population means and a p
< .05 implies that the two means are significantly different from
one another. (If you have more than two groups or occasions, you
would use a within-subjects ANOVA.)
3. Correlation (r): Correlations can be used as a descriptive statistic
and as an inferential statistic. When used inferentially, the null
hypothesis is commonly that the population correlation is equal to
zero, meaning that there is no relationship between the two
variables in the population. A low p-value associated with r implies
that it is unlikely for that value of r to occur in a population where
there is no relationship between the two variables. If p < .05, one
concludes that there is a statistically significant relationship
between the two variables.

A note about the use of inferential statistics in assessment:

Remember that although you might like statistics, the people who you will
be reporting the statistics to may not! You always want to keep the
statistics simple to ease interpretation. Also, always include graphical
representations of the results if possible. If you decide to use inferential
statistics, keep in mind that the significance of the test (whether the pvalue is < .05) is a function not only of the magnitude of the effect (i.e.,
difference in means), but also a function of the sample size. You might
obtain statistical significance with a small, negligible effect simply due to
use of a large sample or conversely, you may fail to find statistical
significance for a large effect due to the use of a small sample.
___________________________________________________________________________
Section 3 Confidence Intervals and Effect Sizes
Although it is not typical practice in assessment, I recommend that
instead of or in addition to using inferential tests, that confidence

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intervals and/or effect sizes be used to interpret the practical importance
of results. Rather than assuming that the population mean is the same as
your sample mean, a 95% confidence interval lets your reader know that
you are being cautious. A 95% confidence interval allows you to say that
you are 95% confident that the population mean is contained within the
interval. Ill show you how to obtain the 95% confidence interval for the
mean in SPSS. As well, confidence intervals will be reported in SPSS for
the differences between means. An effect size captures the magnitude or
practical importance of your effect. For instance, a commonly used effect
size to capture the practical significance of a mean difference is Cohens
d. Cohens d represents the standardized mean difference, which is
simply the number of standard deviation units by which means differ. The
practical significance of a mean difference is typically considered as
small, medium or large for Cohens d values of .3, .5 and .8, respectively.
A correlation is not only a descriptive and inferential statistic, it is also an
effect size. Values of r considered to be small, medium or large are .1, .3
and .5, respectively. To calculate an effect size I suggest using a spreadsheet
that will calculate a variety of different effect sizes that was created by David Wilson
and available for download from the internet:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~dwilsonb/ma.html.
___________________________________________________________________________
Section 4 - Wellness Domain Example Information
Note: All data is actual data from real JMU students with identifying
information omitted to protect the students identities. Some of the
details below, such as the specific goals and objectives being assessed
and what data is actually used for assessment purposes by the Wellness
faculty were formulated for instructional purposes.
We will be calculating the statistics described above using data from JMU
students collected for assessment purposes in the wellness domain.
A. What kind of program is the wellness domain?
At JMU, all students are required to complete a general education
course covering health and wellness issues. The majority of students take
one of two courses within their first two years to fulfill this requirement,
either GHTH 100: Personal Wellness or GKIN 100: Lifetime Fitness and
Wellness. At JMU, this general education program is referred to as the
Wellness Domain of Cluster 5.
B. What are the programs goals & objectives?
The faculty teaching these courses created the goals and objectives
shown in Table 1 in response to the question, What should a student
know and be able to do as a result of completing their general education
wellness course? As you can see, the majority of the objectives are
cognitive in nature, although there is one that is behavioral (4c).

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C. What measures does the program use to assess their goals and
objectives?
The primary assessment method used by the program in order to
determine the extent to which students are attaining the objectives is the
KWH. The Knowledge of Health and Wellness (KWH) is a 35-item
multiple-choice test created by faculty to assess the majority of their
objectives. You can see from the Table of Specifications (Test Blueprint)
which items were created to measure which objectives. Note that there
are more items associated with Goal 2 than with any other goal. The
faculty intended this to be the case since the material associated with
Goal 2 is emphasized most heavily in the wellness courses. Items on the
KWH are scored right or wrong, with the number of correct items serving
as the total score. The range of scores that can be obtained on this scale
is 0 to 35. (A copy of the KWH has been supplied to you by the doctoral
assistant and is on LIGHT BLUE paper)
D. What is the programs data collection scheme?
In order to determine what incoming freshmen know and dont
know about health and wellness upon arriving at JMU, a random sample
of students were administered the KWH and during a campus-wide
assessment day in August of Fall 2003 (F03). This same instrument was
administered to these same students (pre/post) during assessment day in
February of Spring 2005 (S05), which is typically the second semester of
the students sophomore year. Because students typically complete their
health and wellness course during the first two years of college, testing
students in February of their sophomore year yielded a sample consisting
of students who have not yet completed their requirement as well as
students who have completed their requirement.
E. What is the programs data management plan?
Once the data have been scanned, scored and merged from the
various different sources (be sure that all assessment data contains an
identification # for the student so merging information is possible), it is a
good idea to create what we call a data management plan, which
essentially is just a spreadsheet containing information about the
variables in the data set. The data management plan for the data we will
be using in this workshop is in Table 2. Note how the spreadsheet
contains the names for each variable, a more descriptive label for each
variable, the possible range of values for a variable (if numeric), when the
data for the variable was collected and whether or not the variable is
numeric (values represented as a number in the data set) or character
(values represented by a letter or a word). It is important to note this
since many statistical operations are only possible with numeric variables
(e.g., you cannot calculate an average for a character variable). You
should also indicate how missing data is represented in the data set (we

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suggest the use of a period, .) and if applicable, specific information
about what the values of a variable represent. For instance, if you use
numbers to indicate whether or not a student took a particular course, be
sure to indicate in your data management plan what those numbers
represent, (e.g., 0 = Did NOT take course, 1 = Did take course).

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Table 1.

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Table 2

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___________________________________________________________________________
Section 5: SPSS Comparing Means for Different Groups
Data should be saved on your desktop and is called Wellness_Data.sav.
To open data set in SPSS, either:
1) Start ProgramsSPSS for Windows (then FileOpenData)
2) Double-click on the SPSS shortcut on the desktop (then
FileOpenData)
3) Double-click directly on the SPSS data set file icon
(Wellness_data.sav) in the explorer window.
We will be using syntax to run our analyses rather than drop-down menus
so that you can have a record of the analyses you completed. To open the
syntax window that will be used for our analyses, open the
Wellness_Syntax.sps directly from the desktop or go to
FileOpenSyntax.
Our main assessment question is whether or not there are differences on
the KWH test administered in Spring 2005 for students who have
completed their wellness domain course requirement and those who have
not.
Before comparing the means of different groups, first youll want to
obtain descriptive statistics and a histogram for the variable kwhtotF05.
Use the following syntax to obtain descriptive statistics. Note that you
can include comments in the syntax by starting the comment with an
asterisk and ending it with a period.
*Descriptive statistics for KWH Spring 2005 Administration.
Examine
Variables = kwhtot05
/Plot histogram
/Statistics Descriptives
/Cinterval 95.
To run the commands, simply highlight them and select Run Selection.
A new window will open with your output. You will need to save this
output file. The output of any additional analyses you run will be located
below your prior analyses.

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Descriptiv es

KWH Total Spring


2005

Statistic
21.31

Mean
95% Confidence Interval
for Mean

Lower Bound
Upper Bound

5% Trimmed Mean

Std. Error
.305

20.71
21.92
21.53

Median

22.00

Variance

9.795

Std. Deviation

3.130

Minimum

Maximum

28

Range

23

Interquartile Range

The average score for the KWH


Spring 2005 administration is 21.31
and we are 95% confident that the
population mean is between 20.71 and
21.92. Scores are varying from the
mean by about 3.13 points. The lowest
score in our data set is 5, the highest is
28. These values fall in the range of
possible values that could be obtained
from this test (0 to 35).

3.00

Skewness
Kurtosis

-2.061

.236

8.797

.467

Histogram
40

The histogram shows that the scores are


negatively skewed due to a small number
of values below 10. It is quite possible
that these scores are outliers (students
may not have been motivated to put forth
effort on the test). I would probably drop
these students from the data set, but we
will leave them in for the workshop.

30

Frequency

20

10
Std. Dev = 3.13
Mean = 21.3
N = 105.00

0
5.0

7.5 10.0 12.5 15.0 17.5 20.0 22.5 25.0 27.5

KWH Total Spring 2005

Let us now compare the kwhtots05 score for students who have
completed their course requirement vs. those who havent. The syntax for
this comparison is below.
Means Tables = kwhtot05 by numwell
/cells count mean stddev min max skew kurt semean.

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Report
KWH Total Spring 2005
Has the student completed their wellness domain requirement?
Requirement NOT completed
11

Requirement Completed
94

Mean

21.18

21.33

21.31

Std. Deviation

3.130

Total
105

2.601

3.197

Minimum

16

Maximum

25

28

28

Skewness

-.493

-2.148

-2.061

Kurtosis

.106

9.105

8.797

Std. Error of
Mean

.784

.330

.305

There are 11 students


who have not completed
their wellness course
compared to 94 who
have completed their
wellness course. The
average for those who
have not completed their
course is somewhat
lower (M = 21.18) than
the average for those
who have completed
their course (M =
21.33). If the outliers

Now we will conduct an independent samples t-test to determine if the


means are significantly different from one another in the population.
T-test
Groups=numwell(0 1)
/Missing=Analysis
/Variables=kwhtot05
/Criteria=CIN(.95).
Independent Samples Test
KWH Total Spring 2005
Equal variances assumed
.035

Equal variances not assumed

Levene's Test for


Equality of Variances

t-test for Equality of


Means

-.148

-.174

df

103

13.804

Sig. (2-tailed)

.883

.864

-.15

-.15

1.002

.851

Lower

-2.135

-1.975

Upper

1.839

1.679

Sig.

.852

Mean Difference
Std. Error Difference
95% Confidence Interval
of the Difference

The F in the table above is a test of whether or not the population


variances of the two groups are equal. You want the p-value (Sig.)
associated with that F to be > .05 to conclude that the population
variances are indeed equal. If you have satisfied that assumption,
interpret the results in the column labeled Equal variances assumed. If
you have not satisfied that assumption (p < .05), then interpret the
results in the column labeled Equal variances not assumed. Because we
have satisfied that assumption, we interpret the results in the left column.
Because the p-value (Sig. 2-tailed) is > .05, we conclude that the

Analyzing and Interpreting Data Handout


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difference in test performance for students who have and have not
completed their wellness course requirement is not statistically
significant. To obtain the effect size, open the ES_calculator.xls, enable
macros and go to the Menu spreadsheet. Select t-test (independent)
and simply enter the t and sample sizes for your two groups to obtain
your effect size (d). Our effect size is -.05, implying that the results are
also not practically significant.

Section 6: SPSS Comparing Means on Different Occasions


Now we will compare the performance of students on the KWH in fall
2003, when they were incoming freshmen, versus the spring of 2005,
when they were second-semester sophomores. This analysis will be
different from before because groups are not indicated by a variable.
Instead, we have different variables for each occasion.
I would first recommend obtaining the descriptive statistics and
histogram as you did above for the variable kwhtots03. After you have
done that, you can calculate the means for each occasion.
Means Tables = kwhtot03 kwhtot05
/cells count mean stddev min max skew kurt semean.
Report
KWH Total
Fall 2003
105

KWH Total
Spring 2005
105

Mean

18.82

21.31

Std. Deviation

3.088

3.130

Minimum

Maximum

26

28

Skewness

-1.105

-2.061

4.071

8.797

.301

.305

Kurtosis
Std. Error of
Mean

Students scores as sophomores


as higher (M = 21.31) then
their scores as freshmen (M =
18.82), indicating a gain in

To determine if the difference is statistically significant, we can run a


paired samples t-test.
T-test
Pairs = kwhtot03 with kwhtot05 (paired)
/Criteria = CIN(.95)
/Missing = analysis.

There is a statistically
significant difference
between students
scores as sophomores
versus when they were
freshmen. Using the
ES_calculator, select ttest(dependent), and
enter in the sample size,
t and correlation
reported in the SPSS
output. The resulting d

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Paired Samples Test
Pair 1

Paired Differences

KWH Total Fall 2003 KWH Total Spring 2005


-2.50

Mean
Std. Deviation

3.976

Std. Error Mean

.388

95% Confidence Interval


of the Difference

Lower

-3.26

Upper

-1.73

-6.430

df

104

Sig. (2-tailed)

.000

__________________________________________________________________________________________
_

Section 7: SPSS - Correlation


Suppose we are interested in the relationship between course grade in
GHTH 100 and students KWH test score as sophomores. First, I would
look at the descriptive statistics for GHTH 100 course grade the
numeric version of the variable (hth100). Then I would ask for a
scatterplot of the two variables.
Graph
/Scatterplot(bivar)=kwhtot05 with hth100
/Missing=listwise.
The scatterplot indicates a
positive linear relationship
between test score and
course grade. There does
seem to be a restriction of
range issue with the KWH
variable (most values
between 17 and 28), which
may cause our correlation to
look low. Might also consider

4.5

Personal Wellness Course Grade

4.0

3.5

3.0

2.5

2.0

1.5
1.0
0

10

20

30

KWH Total Spring 2005

Below are the commands to obtain a correlation between the two


variables.
Correlations
/Variables=kwhtot05 hth100
/Print=twotail nosig
/Statistics descriptives

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/Missing=listwise.
Correlations
KWH Total
Spring 2005
KWH Total Spring 2005

Pearson
Correlation

Sig. (2-tailed)

.479**

.000

105

55

Pearson
Correlation

.479**

Sig. (2-tailed)

.000

55

55

N
Personal Wellness Course
Grade

Personal Wellness
Course Grade

N
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

There is a positive
relationship between the
two variables that is
considered to be a large
effect. The correlation is
also statistically
significant meaning that
there is a significant
relationship between the
two variables in the
population. The positive
correlation is supporting

Section 8: SPSS Comparing Means on Different Occasions for


Different Groups
Next we will compare the KWH averages in fall 2003 and spring 2005 for
students who have and have not completed their course requirement.
Means Tables = kwhtot03 kwhtot05 by numwell
/cells count mean stddev min max skew kurt semean.
Report
Has the student completed
their wellness domain
requirement?
Requirement NOT completed

KWH Total
Fall 2003
11

KWH Total
Spring 2005
11

Mean

18.18

21.18

Std. Deviation

3.601

2.601

Minimum

14

16

Maximum

26

25

Skewness

1.014

-.493

.771

.106

1.086

.784

Kurtosis
Std. Error of
Mean
Requirement Completed

94

94

Mean

18.89

21.33

Std. Deviation

3.036

3.197

Minimum

Maximum

25

28

Skewness

-1.433

-2.148

5.154

9.105

.313

.330

Kurtosis
Std. Error of
Mean

Lots of
information
here! I
usually
take some
of the
statistics
and create

To create the graph in Excel, open pre post graph.xls from Desktop.
Note how I only entered in the information in the yellow cells.

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Students who have completed the requirement by Spring 2005 score


slightly high as incoming freshmen than students who have not completed
the requirement. Both students who have and have not completed the
requirement are scoring higher on the test as second-semester
sophomores compared to when they were freshmen. To obtain effect sizes
for the differences in Fall 2003 and Spring 2005 averages within each
group (Requirement completed vs. Requirement NOT completed) you
need to obtain the correlation between the scores within each group.
sort cases by numwell.
temporary.
split file by numwell.
correlations variables = kwhtot03 kwhtot05.
Correlations
Has the student completed
their wellness domain
requirement?
Requirement NOT completed

KWH Total
Fall 2003
KWH Total Fall 2003

Pearson
Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)

KWH Total Fall 2003

.646
11

Pearson
Correlation

.156

Sig. (2-tailed)

.646

11

11

.185

Pearson
Correlation
Sig. (2-tailed)

.074

94

94

Pearson
Correlation

.185

Sig. (2-tailed)

.074

94

94

N
KWH Total Spring
2005

.156

N
Requirement Completed

11

N
KWH Total Spring
2005

KWH Total
Spring 2005

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In ES_calculator, select Mean Gain Scores. You will calculate the effect
size for each group separately. This results in an effect size of d = .74 for
the students who have not completed the requirement and d = .61 for
student who have. Both effects are considered medium to large. It would
be anticipated that the students who have not taken the course would
make lesser gains in knowledge than those students who have taken the
course, but this is not what our results indicate. Of course, we have to
keep in mind that the sample size in this example is extremely low for
students who have taken the course. We also need to acknowledge the
outliers in our data perhaps results would like quite different if they
were removed. However, if the results we obtained are a true indication
of the state of affairs, it would indicate that students are gaining
knowledge about health and wellness during their first year and a half in
college due to maturation alone. The wellness course requirement does
not seem to add significantly to the knowledge they are picking up from
other sources.

Section 9: SPSS Scoring from a Key, Creating a Total Score and


Item Analysis
To score multiple-choice or true-false items, you typically begin with
persons response to their items in raw form (1 indicated they selected
option A, 2=B, 3=C, etc.).
To obtain coefficient alpha, item difficulty and item discrimination in
SPSS for such items you must create new variables for each item
representing whether or not the person obtained the correct (1) or
incorrect (0) response. Im making the distinction here between raw item
responses (1,2,3,4) and scored item responses (0,1).
Consider the data set prelim IA kin test3.sav that contains the
responses to 35 items from 271 different students. In this particular data
set, a response of 9 indicates that the data for that item is missing.

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Rather than using pull-down menus, I am going to use syntax to do my


analyses. Make sure you have you data file of raw item responses open in
SPSS and then go to File New Syntax.
1. First thing you want to do let SPSS know that values of 9 for
your raw item response variables, rr1 rr35, are to be treated
as missing. Below is the syntax I used to do this, with the first
line being a comment not an actual command used by SPSS.
Comments begin with an asterisk and end with a period.
After an SPSS command, put the command Execute.
* Here I am telling SPSS to treat values of 9 for rr1 thru rr35 as missing.
Missing values rr1 to rr35 (9).
2. Now I will create 35 new variables which are going to be the
keyed response for each item.
Compute key1=4.
Compute key2=2.
Compute key3=1.

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Compute
Compute
Compute
Compute
Compute
Compute
Compute
.
.
.
Compute
Compute
Compute
Compute
Compute
execute.

key4=3.
key5=4.
key6=2.
key7=3.
key8=1.
key9=4.
key10=2.

key31=2.
key32=3.
key33=3.
key34=1.
key35=4.

3. Now I am going to create a variable that will represent the


total score for each person (called total). Im initially going
to set it equal to 0 for each person. (This is called initializing
a variable).
* Start everyone off as if they didn't have any correct answers.
Compute total = 0.
execute.
4. I am also going to create 35 new variables that represent the
item scores ( 0 = wrong, 1 = right) or the scored item
responses for each person.
*Create 35 new variables that will eventually be item scores or
scored item responses for each person , item1 thru item35.
Vector item(35).
5. Now you will use a do loop to: a) create values of 0 or 1 for
item1 thru item35 (by comparing rr1 thru rr35 to key1 thru
hey35) and b) compute the total score by adding the # of
items a person got correct.
* Create scored item responses (35 of them called item1 - item35) and
create a total score.
Vector raw = rr1 to rr35.
Vector key = key1 to key35.
Loop #i = 1 to 35.
if raw(#i) = key(#i) item(#i) = 1.
if raw(#i) ne key(#i) item(#i) = 0.

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if raw(#i) = key(#i) total = total + 1.
end loop.
execute.
6. Obtain item analysis information using scored item
responses.
*Obtain item analysis information such as item difficulty, item
discrimination and coefficient alpha.
*Make sure to use scored item responses, not raw item responses.
Reliability
/Variables = item1 to item35
/FORMAT = nolabels
/Scale(alpha)=all/model=alpha
/Statistics=descriptive scale
/summary=total.
execute.
7. Prepare the data so you can know which response is the
correct answer when doing you item distractor analysis.
Youll do this by creating value labels for the raw item
responses such that the correct answer has an asterisk
following it.
*Add labels to raw item responses
with an asterisk.
Add value labels rr3 rr8 rr11
Add value labels rr2 rr6 rr10
rr31 2 "2*".
Add value labels rr4 rr7 rr15
rr33 3 "3*".
Add value labels rr1 rr5 rr9
execute.

so that the correct answer is signified


rr14 rr22 rr29 rr34 1 "1*".
rr12 rr13 rr16 rr18 rr20
rr25 rr28
rr17 rr19 rr23 rr26 rr30 rr32
rr21 rr24 rr27 rr35 4 "4*".

8. Ask for the statistics that you need to look at the percentage
of students choosing each distractor and their average total
score.
*Distractor analysis commands.
*Make sure to use raw item responses, not scored item responses.
MEANS
TABLES = total by rr1 to rr35
/CELLS NPCT MEAN.
execute.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data Handout


20
I usually like to take the output from the above syntax for items that may
be problematic and copy it into Excel so I can make some nice looking
charts. Shown below is an example of how I extracted that information
from SPSS to use it in Excel.
Double-click on the
output for this item
and highlight the
information shown,
then hit Copy (ctrl
C).
Open the Excel file called: preliminary IA GKIN100 test3 Spr05.xls. In
the data sheet, you should paste the information from SPSS in the
highlighted portions below in the worksheet entitled data for prob
items:

Paste information here.


These two columns should adjust
after information is pasted.
This graph is then formed on another sheet in Excel, called item 22.

Analyzing and Interpreting Data Handout


21

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