Courses: SPSS syntax // multilevel modelling // SEM using MPlus - Sheffield, June 2011

[Christopher Stride]

Hi
A quick advertisement for a trio of statistics courses provided by
Figure It Out, the statistical consultancy unit at the Institute of Work
Psychology, University of Sheffield, in June/July 2011. The courses are
particularly aimed at researchers, practitioners and postgraduate
students from the fields of psychology, management/business, sociology,
and the social sciences more generally.

- Wednesday 29th June, 2011 - Data Management using SPSS syntax
- Thursday 30th June, 2011 -  Multilevel Modelling using SPSS
- Friday 1st July, 2011 - Structural Equation Modelling using Mplus

The standard rate for the full day courses is £250, the student rate is
£175; and if you attend two or more of the courses you get a further 50
pound discount on the total cost.

Details of the courses are given below: for further information and to
book a place, go to
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/trainingcourses.htm or email
Charlotte McClelland: [hidden email]

These courses, plus further courses on Multiple Regression, and
Questionnaire Scale Construction and Validation, are also available on
an inhouse basis: see
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/bespoketraining.htm

cheers
Chris





******* Course details for each course are as follows: *******

-|- Data management using SPSS syntax -|-

Wednesday 29th June 2011; 9.30am to 5.30pm, at the University of
Sheffield -|-

-|- Who is the course aimed at?
This course is aimed at a very wide audience, namely anyone who ever has
to handle data using SPSS! It serves as both an introduction to the SPSS
syntax language, and as a guide to the principles of good data
management. It is particularly beneficial if you collect your own data
and need to convert it to SPSS format, and/or have to create variables,
merge data from different files, etc.

There are very few grey areas in managing data - your data is either
accurate or it is not. And if it is not, then it is more than likely
that the results from your analysis of it will be incorrect too. Learn
to improve your data managment skills and hence create more time for the
more interesting parts of a study i.e. the analysis of it, safe in the
knowledge that you are working from an accurate, fully documented data set.

Using the SPSS syntax language to import, organise and manipulate your
data is substantially more efficient time-wise than using the menus, and
has the dual advantages of simple repeatability and of providing an
audit trail for your work. Course examples and data sets will largely
come from survey data, but the skills learned are applicable and widely
transferable to an incredibly wide variety of scenarios.

-|- Course level:
Whilst some previous experience of using SPSS via the menus (i.e. point
and click) is expected, no previous experience in using the SPSS syntax
language is required.

-|- Course content and aims:
- The course will cover the following topics: Starting with syntax - why
use SPSS syntax, the basics of writing and running syntax; determining
when your command runs
- Some simple SPSS commands - opening and saving files, describing data
via frequencies, descriptives and crosstabs
- Reading data into SPSS from other formats - handling text format,
Excel format data,
- Defining and documenting data, variable names, variable labels, value
labels, missing value, formatting data
- Creating new variables - recoding, computing, count, performing
calculations on subsets via DO IF - END IF, making multiple calculations
using DO REPEAT loops
- Manipulating cases - selecting subsets of data for analysis, filtering
files, splitting files, sorting cases
- Manipulating files - aggregating files, restructuring files, matching
files, adding cases, updating files
- Data Management: a worked example - best practice for creating and
managing a complex data set

-|- Course Format:
The course will take the form of a mixture of teaching via examples
worked through by the trainer on real data sets which participants can
follow, exercises to practice the skills just learned, and a few short
demonstrations of the further capabilities of SPSS syntax. You will also
receive a 50-page coursebook containg all the notes and worked examples,
providing an easy reference and reminder for the techniques you have
learned.

-|- Course schedule:
The course will start at 9.30am, and finish at around 5.15 - 5.30pm,
though I will be willing to stay on for a while after this and to answer
questions pertinent to participants' own data sets or any other
multi-level modelling queries you may have.


***********

-|- Multi-level Modelling using SPSS -|-

Thursday 30th June, 2011; 9.30am to 5.30pm, at the University of
Sheffield -|-

-|- Who is the course aimed at?
This course is aimed at two distinct groups. It is primarily designed as
a beginners' course in multi-level modelling (AKA Hierarchical Linear
Modelling), for those who face the challenge of working with multi-level
data sets and want to be able to analyse them in the most powerful and
accurate way.

However it should also appeal to those with a little experience of
multi-level modelling using other specialist packages who now want to
learn how to run such models in SPSS using the MIXED MODELS menu and
commands.

-|- Course level:
A reasonable working knowledge of multiple regression and some previous
experience of using SPSS to perform statistical analysis is expected. No
previous experience of multi-level modelling will be assumed.

-|- Course content and aims:
The course will cover the following topics:
- Introduction to multi-level data - what it is and why it requires
special treatment
- Restructuring Data in preparation for multi-level modelling
- What is a multi-level model?
- Building and fitting a multi-level model in SPSS
- Further issues in multi-level modelling: centering, sample size and
scaling
- Advanced multi-level models: analysing longitudinal data and
cross-sectional data using multi-level modelling in SPSS

-|- Course Format:
The course comprises of a mixture of short lectures on the basic theory
behind multi-level models, teaching via examples worked through by the
trainer on real data sets which participants can follow, and exercises
to practice the skills just learned. You will also receive a 70-page
coursebook containing all the notes and worked examples, providing an
easy reference and reminder for the techniques you have learned.

-|- Course schedule:
The course will start at 9.30am, and finish at around 5.15 - 5.30pm,
though I will be willing to stay on for a while after this and to answer
questions pertinent to participants' own data sets or any other
multi-level modelling queries you may have.

For further information and to book a place, go to
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/trainingcourses.htm


***********

-|- Introduction to Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus -|-

Friday 1st July, 2011; 9.30am to 5.30pm, at the University of Sheffield -|-

-|- Who is the course aimed at?
This course is aimed at two distinct groups; those seeking a beginners'
course in Path Analysis techniques such as Structural Equation Modelling
(SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA); and those with some
previous experience of Structural Equation Modelling who wish to learn
to use the powerful and elegant MPlus software, which can be employed in
an incredibly wide range of model fitting scenarios.

-|- Course level:
A basic knowledge of Exploratory Factor Analysis and the ideas behind
multiple regression analysis will be advantageous to participants. No
previous knowledge or experience with SEM or Mplus is assumed

-|- Course content and aims:
The course will cover the following topics:
  - Introduction to Path Analysis - what is it and why do we need it?
  - Assessing the fit of a Structural Equation Model
  - Comparing competing Structural Equation Models
  - Preparing and importing data into Mplus from SPSS
  - Getting started with analysis in MPlus - the basics of the language
  - Fitting a simple Confirmatory Factor Analysis in Mplus
  - Fitting a simple Structural Equation Model in Mplus
  - Testing for indirect effects in Structural Equation Models
  - Fitting Structural Equation Models with missing data
  - Including Categorical variables in Structural Equation Models
  - Multiple group analysis

-|- Course Format:
The course comprises of a mixture of short lectures on the basic theory
behind Structural Equation Models, teaching via examples worked through
by the trainer on real data sets which participants can follow, and
exercises to practice the skills just learned. You will also receive a
80-page coursebook containing all the notes and worked examples,
providing an easy reference for the basics of performing SEM in MPLus,
and as a reminder for the techniques you have learned.

-|- Course schedule:
The course will start at 9.30am, with a lunch break from 1pm-2pm, and
short coffee breaks at 11.30am and 3.30pm. It will finish at around 5pm,
though I will be willing to stay on for a while after this to answer
questions pertinent to participants' own data sets or any other
Structural Equation Modelling queries you may have.

For further information and to book a place, go to
http://www.offbeat.group.shef.ac.uk/FIO/trainingcourses.htm




*** for all three courses above ***

The teacher:
Dr Chris Stride has been using SPSS in his work as a statistician and
data manager for the last 12 years. He has particular experience and
expertise in teaching non-statisticians from the fields of psychology,
HR, management and the social sciences. He is a Chartered Statistician
and a member of the ASSESS (UK and European SPSS Users Group) Committee;
and has been running statistical training courses at the University of
Sheffield and on an inhouse basis to Universities and Public Sector
organisations over the past few years.


--
Dr Chris Stride, C. Stat, Statistician, Institute of Work Psychology,
University of Sheffield
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

“Figure It Out”
Statistical Consultancy and Training Service for Social Scientists

Visit www.figureitout.org.uk for details of my consultancy services, and
forthcoming training courses, which are also available on an in-house basis:
- Data Management using SPSS syntax
- Multiple Regression using SPSS
- Multilevel Modelling using SPSS
- Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus

--
Dr Chris Stride, C. Stat, Statistician, Institute of Work Psychology,
University of Sheffield
Telephone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

“Figure It Out”
Statistical Consultancy and Training Service for Social Scientists

Visit www.figureitout.org.uk for details of my consultancy services, and
forthcoming training courses, which are also available on an in-house basis:
- Data Management using SPSS syntax
- Multiple Regression using SPSS
- Multilevel Modelling using SPSS
- Structural Equation Modelling using MPlus

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