Final Project Assignment 1.

Due Via UNM Learn by 5pm Friday September 29th

Final Project Assignment 1 (a) assesses your ability to recode variables and (b) requires
you to construct a research question and select variables for your final project. This
assignment is worth a total of 20 points.
Please remember to answer Parts I and II using the GSS 2012 available on UNM Learn course
website
Part I: Recode educ
Recode the variable educ into a four category variable named ordinaleduc. This variable
should divide the respondents into 4 groups: those who have less than High school education (0-
11 years of education), those who have high school education (12 years of education), those who
have some college education or a college degree (13-16 years of education), and those who have
some graduate education (17-20 years of education).
1- Copy and paste the SPSS message that describes your recoding [for example, the
message for age was:
RECODE age (18 thru 25=1) (26 thru 35=2) (36 thru 55=3) (56 thru 89=4)
(ELSE=SYSMIS) INTO ordinalage. EXECUTE.
2- Copy and paste the frequency table for the old variable: educ
3- Copy and paste the frequency table for the new variable ordinaleduc

Part II: Produce Charts for Original and Recoded Variables, Paste Charts Below.
PART III. Beginning Your Final Project
These variables will form the basis for your final project. Please take time in selecting them and
give special attention to why examining the relationship between the two variables is interesting
to you or why the relationship is important.
Question 1. Forming a Research Question and Selecting Variables. In answering this question
make sure you address each of the components below.
a. Using either the Global Dataset or NIBRS Crime Data 2010-2014, both available on UNM
Learn, pick one dependent variable and one key independent variable that you think
influences the dependent variable. Both your dependent and independent variables must
come from the same dataset. Note, you can only use interval-ratio or ordinal variable(s)
with at least 5 valid categories for your dependent and key independent variable. *Hint, in
picking your variables make sure they meet the criteria of causality. I.E. temporal order:
does the independent variable occur before the dependent variable, theory: is there a
story or reason to believe the independent variable influences the dependent variable, etc.
Identify your database.
Identify and describe your independent and dependent variable. Be sure to
describe the characteristics of each variable. (e.g. SPSS name, SPSS label,
codebook description, level of measurement and why it is that level of
measurement).

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 b. State your research question.
c. State why you think the independent variable influences the dependent variable.
d. Identify the unit of analysis of your research question and explain why it is that unit of
analysis.
Question 2. Study Importance. Discuss in a brief paragraph why the research question is
important and/or interesting to you?
As discussed in class some potential avenues for showing why your study is important include:
-Discussing why your dependent variable is important?
-Discussing why your study is important from a practical standpoint? Could
understanding how the independent variable influences the dependent variable improve policy?
-Discussing whether your study is important from a theoretical standpoint. Does your
article help you assess a theory?