Summary |
Sociology and the other social sciences (including political science, social work, public administration, criminal justice, urban studies and gerontology) are research-based disciplines, and statistics are part of their everyday language. To join the conversation, you must be literate in the vocabulary of research, data analysis, and scientific thinking. Knowledge of statistics will enable you to understand the professional research literature of your discipline as well as the research reports you encounter in everyday life. Knowledge of statistics will enable you to conduct quantitative research and to contribute to the growing body of social science knowledge. Statistical literacy will move you closer to reaching your full potential as a social scientist.
Although essential, learning (and teaching) statistics cab be a challenge. Students in statistics course typically have a wide range of mathematical background and an equally diverse set of career goals. They are often puzzled about the relevance of statistics for them, and, not infrequently, there is some math anxiety to deal with.
The text introduces statistical analysis for the social sciences while addressing these challenges. The text makes minimal assumption about mathematical background (the ability to read a simple formula is sufficient preparation for virtually all of the material in the text), and variety of special features help students analyze data successfully. The text has been written especially for sociology and social work programs but is sufficiently flexible to be used in any program with a social science base.
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