Creating a new variable by combining two categorial variables

[Mary McIntosh]

I am new to this and have a question

I need to combine two categorical variables in SPSS to one categorical variable

IEP or not where has an IEP is defined as 1 and not have an IEP is 2

504 plan or not where has 504 plan is defined as 1 and not have 504 plan is 2

For my analysis I want to create a new variable:  special education  SPECED 

this would be if student had either an IEP or 504 defined as 1 and not have either an IEP or 504 defined as 2 

(note a student does not have both-- an IEP is a type of support for a more serious learning disabiilty, a 504 plan for less serious;  in the school system they have one or the other if it is needed.  They have neither if it is not needed

SO, how do I go about creatiing this new variable?

Thank you for your time

Mary 

[David Marso]

See COMPUTE, AND, ANY!
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Mary McIntosh wrote

I am new to this and have a question
I need to combine two categorical variables in SPSS to one categorical variable
IEP or not where has an IEP is defined as 1 and not have an IEP is 2504 plan or not where has 504 plan is defined as 1 and not have 504 plan is 2
For my analysis I want to create a new variable:  special education  SPECED this would be if student had either an IEP or 504 defined as 1 and not have either an IEP or 504 defined as 2 (note a student does not have both-- an IEP is a type of support for a more serious learning disabiilty, a 504 plan for less serious;  in the school system they have one or the other if it is needed.  They have neither if it is not needed
SO, how do I go about creatiing this new variable?
Thank you for your timeMary

[J. Salford]

Assume your variables are named IEP and PLAN504.

compute SPECED = (IEP eq 1) or (PLAN504 eq 1).
value labels SPECED 1 'Yes' 0 'No'.
exe.

If you want No to be coded to 2 then you can recode it but it makes more sense to use 0/1 to define No/Yes responses.

[MLIves]

I suspect there is some clarification still needed.

The statement ‘if student had either an IEP or 504 defined as 1 and not have either an IEP or 504 defined as 2‘ is not logically possible.

If they have an IEP and not a 504 (meets first part), but at the same time would fail the second part since 504 would be 2.

 

I see that JS has provided syntax for a student having either IEP or 504. Did that answer your question.

 

Or are you looking for a 4 level categorical that represents IEP, 504, both, neither?

That could be done easily (assuming the values are numeric not string) by:

COMPUTE SPECED=(IEP*10)+504.

Val labels speced

  11 ‘Both’

  12 ‘IEP only’

  21 ‘504 only’

  22 ‘Neither’.

 

M

From: SPSSX(r) Discussion [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Mary McIntosh
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2014 10:41 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [SPSSX-L] Creating a new variable by combining two categorial variables

 

I am new to this and have a question

 

I need to combine two categorical variables in SPSS to one categorical variable

 

IEP or not where has an IEP is defined as 1 and not have an IEP is 2

504 plan or not where has 504 plan is defined as 1 and not have 504 plan is 2

 

For my analysis I want to create a new variable:  special education  SPECED 

this would be if student had either an IEP or 504 defined as 1 and not have either an IEP or 504 defined as 2 

(note a student does not have both-- an IEP is a type of support for a more serious learning disabiilty, a 504 plan for less serious;  in the school system they have one or the other if it is needed.  They have neither if it is not needed

 

SO, how do I go about creatiing this new variable?

 

Thank you for your time

Mary 

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