The aim of the course is to introduce the main concepts of basic statistics to students who have no previous knowledge in this area. By the end of the course, students will be able to identify the different types of data that they will need to analyse in different contexts. They will be able to deal with the analysis of real data (from graphical representations to position and variability statistics).
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Lectures with examples and discussion of practical cases and examples of social research.
Classroom exercises with active student participation.
Written test.
The test consists of a variable number of practice and theory questions. There are multiple-choice and open-ended questions. It is compulsory to bring a ruler and a calculator (smartphones are not allowed). For each exercise you will be given a mark, usually between one and three points, out of a total of thirty.
To achieve the course objectives, students will first be introduced to the main concepts of social research methodology: what is quantitative research, what are its aims and instruments, how is data collection done.
Elements of descriptive statistics: frequency distributions, percentages and cumulative relative frequencies. Position indices, mode, median and arithmetic mean. Percentiles. Indices of variability, range, variance.
Graphical presentation of statistical data.
Introduction to statistical inference. Sampling, statistics. The sample mean. The mean square deviation from the sample mean. Estimation by Intervals: Random Intervals, Confidence Level. Confidence interval for the mean of a population, case of known variance and case of unknown variance.
The programme is the same for both attending and non-attending students.
