Use of SPSS for One Variable Chi-Square Tests

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Use of SPSS for Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit Tests
You can print this part to use beside your computer as you practice. You will need to
create a small data file in SPSS.
For a reminder of the basis of SPSS, please look here.

Running the chi-square goodness-of-fit test using SPSS is relatively straightforward.

If you are starting from scratch, the sequence is described in this section.
Table One
Top Of Class Marks Accrued by Children in Eight Seating Positions (N = Total)
Seating Position
Observed

29 19 18 25 17 10 15 11 144

Instructions
Stage 1
Below is an example of how the data could be entered for this problem.
You will notice that we have 2 variables, one is the seating position (from 1 to 8), and
the other is the case number (from 1 to 144).
As far as Position is concerned, because were simply trying to recreate the data
shown in Table 1, the easiest thing to do, if you were doing the data entry, would be
to type in 1 for the first 29 cases, 2 for the next 19 and so on up to 144, as
presented in Table 1, and shown below as raw data:

Although this is what your original dataset would look like, there is an alternative
form of the dataset that is used more often for chi-square. It includes two columns,
one with the seating position, and one with the frequency counts (as presented in
Table 1):

Open up SPSS and create a new data file, entering the data as above.
Stage 2
When we enter the data in this way, we need to perform an extra step, we have to
weight the cases by the frequency count. The reason to do this is so that the
programme can recognise that the data are presented in the form of frequency
counts, and not as raw data.
To do this, we go to Data>Weight Cases, where a new window will open:

In there, select the variable Frequency, and click on the arrow to place it in the right
box, and click on the option Weight cases by as shown below. Click OK, and now
you have the dataset in the right format and are ready to perform the analysis:

Stage 3
In the Analyze menu, select Non-parametric Tests>Chi-Square.

In the dialogue box that appears, select the variable containing the data entered at
step 1, as shown below.

Other Stages
4) The Options button can be used to request descriptive statistics, which is
optional.
NB be sure to click on Continue rather than simply closing this dialogue box,
otherwise your requests will be ignored.

4) Under Exact, make sure that asymptotic only is selected this needs to be
selected to give you the chi-square test results.
6) Click OK to run the analysis.
7) Look at the print-out. It gives you the observed and expected frequencies per cell,
the deviations, the chi-square value, the df, and the significance. It also gives you
some information on minimum expected frequencies, the relevance of which well
come back to shortly. Check that the values for chi-square, df and significance all
come out as detailed previously.

Task 7
Working with the example dataset use the SPSS procedure outlined above to test
for:
Equal distribution of participants across schools
Equal numbers of boys and girls.

[Note that in this example, as each case is entered individually, you do not need to
weight the cases.]

In each case:
specify what the null and alternative hypotheses should be, and
Write out in a sentence or two a report of what your analysis shows.
View answer

Source of this article:

http://www.strath.ac.uk/aer/materials/4dataanalysisineducationalresearch/unit3/useof
spssforonevariablechi-squaretests/