Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics

I think this is a really good starting point for teaching stats – from assuming students knows nothing about and taking them gradually to a more advanced understanding. The book is – very helpfully- full of interesting examples and engaging style of writing. I like it that the book has several ‘levels of difficulty’ and engages both with practical stats and theory. The book I believe is targeted at UG students mainly, but some chapters can be recommended to MA students on research methods courses provided that they know nothing about statistics – the book is written in a very accessible manner which means that it can satisfy the need of international students in terms of level of difficulty and language (and business programmes normally have a lot of international students at MA level). The explanations are logically organized and explained in a lucid and clear manner. Little features like ‘faces’ I believe would make the book more attractive to UG students. I think self-test questions and the tasks at the end of chapter are very helpful, as well as the real world data and (often humorous) examples. My course is MA so I am not adopting this book for a course as a main text, but I may recommend it to students who are completely unfamiliar with statistics. (Maria Karepova)

Andy Field has done it again.  The fourth edition of Discovering Statistics will transform students who approach statistics with fear and loathing into adroit statistics users who understand key statistical concepts.  Field’s book is a practical ‘how to’ guide for conducting and understanding basic and advanced statistical analyses using IBM SPSS Statistics.  The book is geared toward behavioural and social sciences researchers at all levels – from undergraduates taking their very first statistics course, to postgraduates.  (JoNell Strough Psychology Learning and Teaching)