SPSS help!

Hi,

This probably has a very simple answer but I can't find any of my 1st year SPSS workshop help sheets.

Basically. For our research we conducted a survey where people answered maths questions and typed their own response in (not multiple choice, just inputted the answer they thought it was)

We've got all the data up in SPSS now but we've hit a bit of a problem - How do we recode the data on the basis of it being right or wrong, e.g. 1 = right, 0 = wrong when the responses were inputted by the participants themselves. I basically need to know how to tell SPSS to mark something as right with one number when the answer is 40 for example and wrong if its any other number other than 40.

Hope that makes sense! Any help would be greatly appreciated! x

Reply 1

MagicNMedicine

20

You need to set up a new variable, the syntax I think will be

COMPUTE [name of new variable]=0.
IF ([existing variable]=40) [name of new variable]=1.

Reply 2

Psych!

Would probably be easier for you to use the 'recode into different variable' option. You just need to know how you are recoding - using the example you have:

Transform>Recode into Different variable. Specify the variable to recode from, give new variable an appropriate label. Then...

40 -> 1
all other values -> 0

Then specify value labels for the new variable in variable view (1 = correct, 0 = incorrect). As above, syntax is easy enough, but you'll likely be phaffing around to get the coding correct unless you have a little bit of experience (and so dialog box pathway would be more efficient).

Reply 3

janey01

OP

5

Original post by Psych!

Would probably be easier for you to use the 'recode into different variable' option. You just need to know how you are recoding - using the example you have:

Transform>Recode into Different variable. Specify the variable to recode from, give new variable an appropriate label. Then...

40 -> 1
all other values -> 0

Then specify value labels for the new variable in variable view (1 = correct, 0 = incorrect). As above, syntax is easy enough, but you'll likely be phaffing around to get the coding correct unless you have a little bit of experience (and so dialog box pathway would be more efficient).

Hi, thanks for your help.

I am unbelievably rubbish with SPSS though. Would you mind talking me through step by step? where do I specify the new variable name and write "40-> 1" etc

Thank you!

Reply 4

Psych!

I'm sure you're not rubbish, you just need to have the confidence to play around! As long as the original file is saved safely, nothing to lose.

However, try this walkthrough...

http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/nursing/Documents/PDF/HowToRecodeVariables.pdf

Reply 5

iamsuperwoman

13

Original post by MagicNMedicine

You need to set up a new variable, the syntax I think will be

COMPUTE [name of new variable]=0.
IF ([existing variable]=40) [name of new variable]=1.

Hi I am also struggling with SPSS. The task ask me to find a proportion of a given data but before doing this I am to recode and split the data into minus and plus. I have looked everywhere in trying to do this but nothing or no one knows how to do it. Can you help me please?

SPSS help!

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