Public Administration 604
Methods of Analysis in Public and Urban Affairs
Fall, 2015
Tuesdays.4:00-6:40
Dr. Richard A. Parker
858-279-5070
fax 858-279-1170
e-mail: parker3@mail.sdsu.edu
Introduction:
This course is required for all graduate students enrolled in the Masters Degree Programs
in the School of Public Affairs. After completing PA 604, MPA and MCJC students can
enroll in PA 606 and MCP students must take CP 625 in order to complete their graduate
methods component.
The primary instructional tool for this course is the sample survey research process. It is
the sample survey process that will be utilized to introduce related statistical techniques.
Sample survey research is among the most important means of gathering data in the area
of public and urban affairs. The student will be introduced to descriptive statistics, tests
of statistical significance, and measures of association, especially as they apply to the
analysis of sample data.
The course will be taught from a practical standpoint. That is, emphasis will be placed on
the usefulness of the techniques in hypothetical situations that the student is likely to
encounter as a professional. In accordance with this tenor, mathematical theory and
formal proofs of various formulas will be minimized. Students are not expected to become
experts in the use of these methods but are expected to gain a basic knowledge of how
to use certain techniques and, equally important, when to use them so that they can utilize
computer software appropriately. Clear analytical and scientific thinking will be stressed.
Requirements:
There will be 3 examinations during the semester (9/22, 10/27 (or 11/3), and 12/8). The
first exam will be closed book for the portion that applies to survey development and open
book for the SPSS portion. The other two exams will be entirely open book and open
notes.
Exam #1 is worth 25% of the course grade
Exam #2 is worth 37.5% of the course grade
Exam #3 is worth 37.5% of the course grade
Problems on the book’s website will be assigned for homework but will not be handed in
or graded. Successful completion of the exams, however, will require that the homework
problems be done. Answers to manual and computer problems are provided on the book’s
website.
Texts: Note that the book will be used again in PA 606 and CP 625
Rea, Louis M. and Parker, Richard A., Designing and Conducting Survey
Research, 4th. ed., San Francisco, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2014
If you want to be able to work at home, lease and download IBM SPSS 23 Statistics Grad
Pack Base online. A site recommended by SPSS is:
http://www.onthehub.com/spss
There are many other sites that sell and lease the software. Please also be aware that the
sites can be confusing in what is included in the base software. They seem to indicate
that you need an extra Regression module. You do not—the base is sufficient.
It is available for Windows or Mac at a cost of $42 for 6 months. (There is a one-year
option for $73 or it can be purchased from SPSS for $226.00). You will only need 6 months
for this class, but will need it again for PA 606 (if taken with me) and CP 625. If you plan
to take CP 625 in Spring, 2016, you can save a few dollars by purchasing the 12 month
rental. You are free to acquire or rent versions 20, 21 or 22 if they are available on this or
other websites at a cost savings to you.
You have free use of SPSS at school, if you prefer and please note that the computer
component of PA 604 is relatively modest.
Class Schedule:
Aug 25
Introduction to Survey Research (R&P: Chapter 1)
Sept 1
Development of the Survey Instrument
Levels of Measurement (R&P: Chapters 2-3)
Sept 8
Development of the Survey Instrument (continued)
Introduction to SPSS (“Setting up a Data File” posted on Blackboard)
Sept 15
Introduction to SPSS (R&P—Chapter 5—pp. 115-118)
Measures of Central Tendency (R&P—Chapter 5—pp. 99-108)
Sept 22
EXAM #1 through Introduction to SPSS
Sept 29
Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion—Normal Distribution
(R&P: Chapter 5—pp. 108-115 and pp. 123-132)
Oct 6
Measures of Central Tendency and Dispersion (SPSS)--(R&P: Chapter
5—pp. 118-123)
Recoding Variables in SPSS (“Recoding in SPSS” posted on
Blackboard and R&P: Chapter 10—pp. 210-212)
Oct 13
Recoding, etc. SPSS (continued)
Z Scores (R&P: Chapter 6—pp. 135-140)
Oct 20***
Sampling Theory (R&P--Chapter 6 --pp. 140-145)
Confidence Intervals (R&P Chapter 7—pp. 146-151)
*** SEE ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULE BELOW
Oct 27
EXAM #2 through Z scores
Nov 3
Hypothesis Testing (R&P—Chapter 7—pp. 152-162)
Sample Size (R&P—Chpt 8)
Nov 10
Sample Size (continued)
Sample Selection (R&P—Chapter 9--except pp. 192-194)
Nov 17
Crosstabulations----Chi-Square/Cramer’s V (R&P: Chapter 10, pp. 203226)
Nov 24
NO CLASS
Dec 1
Chi-Square (continued)
Dec 8
EXAM #3
ALTERNATIVE SCHEDULE
Oct 20—NO CLASS
Oct 27-- Sampling Theory (R&P--Chapter 6 --pp. 140-145)
Confidence Intervals (R&P Chapter 7—pp. 146-151)
Nov 3-- EXAM #2 through Z scores
Nov 10
Hypothesis Testing (R&P—Chapter 7—pp. 152-162)
Sample Size (R&P—Chpt 8)
Nov 17
Sample Size (continued)
Sample Selection (R&P—Chapter 9--except pp. 192-194)
Nov 24
Crosstabulations----Chi-Square/Cramer’s V (R&P: Chapter 10, pp. 203226)
BOOK ERRORS:
1. page xiv--midway down page--"www" printed twice
2. page 67—Example 3.8—no period after “New Mexico.”
3. page 146--6th line "m" should be Greek letter "µ"
4. page 149--equation 7.5 should be 2.575...not 2.75
5. page 150—Line 6: the name Cooper should replace White
6. page 161—Item #3 above screen shot—change to “Look at Options—reset
confidence interval to 90% (one-tail) and leave Missing Values as Analysis by
Analysis.”
7. page 162—One-Sample Test: Change 95% Confidence Interval to 90%
Confidence Interval and change vales under “Lower” to -.0006 and under
“Upper” to .0955.
8. page 169--spacing off between lines near bottom
9. page 169--equation 8.5 "C" should be *
10. page 169, Equation 8.7 should have "n=" in front--just as with the
equations above
11. p, 180—first word at top should be “general”—not “working.”
12. page 205--right hand numbers belong under % and "1" on last line does not
belong
13. page 241—Using SPSS for the Paired samples t Test: references to
“desalinated water” on lines 7 and 9 should be “recycled water.”
14. page 242—In Paired-Samples Statistics, insert “percentage after messages”
before “q9 and q9arec combined.”
15. page 246--under South Bend after first 14.80 should be two blank cells
(move the last $14.80 to Watertown under the last $15.60). Move "mean wage"
on next line as far left as possible--see 3rd edition.
16. page 273--#9--".021" should be 0.21
17. a. page 275--Under Descriptive Statistics, the means should be 45.44
and 10.51. Standard Deviations should be 29.602 and 8.794
b. page 276--Model Summary--Std Error of the Estimate should be 29.587
c. page 276--ANOVA--Sum of Squares should be 1204.295, 313380.539 and
314584.833---------------Mean Square should be 1204.295 and 875.365
d. page 276---Coefficients--Under B should be 43.256 and .208----------under Std. Error should be 2.432 and .178---------------and under t, the
first number should be 17.786