This is a very basic guide to SPSS. It is aimed at total novices wishing to understand the basic layout of the package and how to generate some simple tables and graphs

1. A Basic Guide to SPSS
Paul Gorman
p.gorman@aston.ac.uk

2. SPSS has two
tabs:
Data View and
Variable View

3. ‘Data View’ is
where the
numbers are
inputted e.g.
Survey
responses

4. ‘Variable View’
is where you see
behind the data
i.e. where you
tell SPSS what
the numbers
represent

5. This is what
Data View looks
like with some
content added

6. Each row is a
respondent’s
answers to a
survey

7. Each column
contains all the
answers to a
particular
question by all
respondents

8. In ‘Variable View’
this is what the data
looks like. Think of
this part as putting
a key to your graph,
a way of telling
people what the
numbers represent

9. Each variable can
be named. No
spaces or special
characters are
allowed (just keep it
to simple one word
names)

10. SPSS can deal with words
as well as numbers, but
the ‘Type’ of data should
mostly be numeric.
Data made up of words is
called ‘String’ data

11. This is where you can give
your variable a meaningful
label.
This will be the label that
appears in tables and
graphs

12. The ‘value’ tab is where
you turn your numbers
into meaningful values.
E.g. 1 = Female, 2 = Male

13. Once you have imported your data, or inputted it manually
if your questionnaire is on paper, you can start to make
sense of the data that you have.
It can be time-consuming, but the results are clean,
efficient and the data can scrutinized in countless ways
Even basic ‘descriptive’ statistics can be revealing,
interesting and easy to run in numerous ways

14. Generating
Frequency
Tables:
These include
number of
respondents,
percentages etc.

15. Select the
appropriate
variable/s

16. A new
window
opens
with your
data

17. If you want
to export
your data
to another
format,
then run
the tables
as
normal…

18. … then
select the
tables you
wish to
export,
right-click
and select
‘Export’

19. Select
format you
wish to
export to
and file
destination

20. If you wish to
view Graphs
or Pie Charts,
then select
‘Charts’ when
choosing your
variables,
then select
appropriate
‘Chart Type’

21. SPSS will
simultaneously
generate
frequency
tables and any
charts you wish
in the same
output

22. Same
process as
above for
Bar Charts

24. To compare
different
variables,
select
‘Crosstabs’

25. Select the
appropriate
variables
and use the
arrows to
move them
into the
‘rows’ and Note that I have checked the
‘columns’ box to generate Bar Charts so
we can see the comparisons in
sections a visual format

27. The default
tables only
shows the N
figure e.g.
number of
respondents

28. To add
percentages
to the tables
click the
‘Cell’ button
and check
the
appropriate
boxes

30. If you wish to
view specific
cases and
eliminate any
variables from
your data, such
as ‘Mentors’,
then go to ‘Select
Cases’

31. Select ‘If
condition is
satisfied’
and then
click the ‘If’
button

32. Select your
variable and … Then click
then use the = and select
arrow to the number
send it to that
the other represents
side of the the variables
screen… you wish to
view

33. Now you can
run all the
data as
before, but
only
Mentees are
being used