SPSS ASSIGNMENT #3
Computing z-Scores Using SPSS
Using the data below:
1. Determine the z-score that corresponds to each teacher’s salary and enter them in the table below. (Follow the steps on the second page).
The following data are from a survey of high school teachers.
SALARY
SEX
ZSALARY
35,000
Male
0.02007
18,000
Female
-1.00344
20,000
Male
-0.88302
50,000
Female
0.92316
38,000
Male
0.20069
20,000
Female
-0.88302
75,000
Male
2.42831
40,000
Female
0.3211
30,000
Male
-0.28096
22,000
Female
-0.76261
23,000
Male
-0.70241
45,000
Female
0.62213
Follow the instructions below. For salary be sure to use “scale” for measure (and you will be entering the actual number so no need for values); sex is a nominal variable (Male= 1, Female=2).
In SPSS, we compute z-scores via the Descriptives command.
After you enter the data above, click Analyze, then Descriptive Statistics, then Descriptives – this will take you to the dialog box for descriptives.
In the bottom-left corner you will see a check box labeled “Save standardized values as variables”, check this box and move the variable SALARY into the right-hand blank. Then click OK to complete the analysis. You will see the standard output from the Descriptives command. Notice that the z-scores are not listed. SPSS inserts them into the data window as a new variable (ZSALARY). Copy and paste your results to this document.
Descriptive Statistics
N
Minimum
Maximum
Mean
Std. Deviation
Scale
12
18000.00
75000.00
34666.6667
16609.59927
Sex
0
Valid N (listwise)
0
2. Write a brief (but thorough) analysis of what these z-scores say about each teacher’s salary.
The z-scores show how each teacher’s salary placed compared to the minimum and maximum salaries. For each one of the teacher’s whose z-scores were in the positive, as with the first female and male, their salaries were more than the average salary. For those teacher’s whose z-scores were in the negative, their salaries were below the average salary.