SPSS or statistical package for social science is a software wrap up used for statistical investigation and data analysis involved in all the research methodologies of the dissertation. SPSS has a wide role in the dissertation, it assists in finding missing data’s from the list of numbers, their acquisition and interpretation and at last analyzing data result.
All the above process are equally important, but the most imperative among all is finding missing data. As, if a single number or a group of numbers is missing from the list of numbers it can misconstrue the entire study. Therefore, let’s do a deep study of how SPSS helps in finding missing data –
• Adding and finding average of all the numbers in the series – SPSS has a quality of adding a series of data and finding the average of the same. The series also includes the missing numbers and tells about the missing quantity. For an instance-
1) Average marks of 6 PhD students = M1+M2+ M3+ M4+M5+M6/6
2) The mean of the marks obtained by 6 PhD students = Mean ( A1, B2, C3, D4, E5, F6)
Average marks of 6 students cannot be calculated if any of them is missing whereas mean is easy to be intended. Missing numbers can be analyzed from the main series if the series has a minimum of 4 numbers in it.
Find out how many numbers are present (let’s say 4) and write in the way as –: MEAN. 4(A1, B2, C3, D4, E5, F6)
• Missing numbers Vs non missing numbers –
a. Both the missing and non missing numbers are compared first.
b. “Frequency Command” is used to compare the missing and non missing numbers along with other variables.
• Distribution of missing numbers –
a. “Aggregate” command is used by SPSS to find out the frequency and hence the missing numbers from the series.
Thus, this statistical package is useful in finding out the missing numbers.