Data Analysis

I’m now at the stage of my Final Year Project that I’ve pretty much been dreading since about 2019 - data analysis. The thing is, I am interested in what the results will show, so I do have that motivating me, but it’s getting my head around everything in SPSS which holds me back.

I have five different measures of five different constructs, and almost 150 participants altogether. Trying to understand what variables to measure in what way, which pairs of variables need to be compared, which tests to use when, determining normality of each set of data.. the list goes on. I have been consulting the trusty "SPSS for Dummies” handbook which, I have to admit, actually helps. There is also a load of uploaded content on our virtual learning environment from previous semesters for me to browse at my own leisure, so it’s clear to see that I’m not lacking in support materials.

Despite all this, I have actually gone ahead and tried to attempt some comparative analyses that I have not yet covered on my academic journey, and I am going to email my supervisor this afternoon to arrange a catch-up to see whether I have in any way successfully attempted the process. Reader, I learned it from a YouTube video, but the content creator did seem vaguely legitimate and there were hoards of comments from fellow watchers claiming he had “saved” their projects when they were also in an SPSS black hole.

I am confident that I have plenty of time for the write up of the project; I received an A grade for the first partial draft I submitted, so I have around 3000 words of strong content already, plus this results section to work on and then the main discussion. The submission date is the beginning of May 2022, so I have plenty of time to actually do the work, and hopefully not procrastinate. Trying to recruit participants gave me valid excuses for spending multiple hours per day on social media, as I mainly used Facebook and LinkedIn groups where students share their studies, recruit participants and then complete each other’s studies. It was surprisingly simple to get people on board and I’ll definitely be remaining in these groups so I can use them for future study recruitment.

Keep checking back here for more Project updates - I’m trying to document the process as much as possible so I can look back on it in years to come!