ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the uses of microcomputer software, such as spreadsheets and database management systems, in teaching social research methods. Spreadsheets have had the most wide-ranging impact on the teaching of research methods. They can be readily used to teach a variety of topics in social research, such as experimental designs, Guttman scaling, and statistics, especially statistics that deal with categorical data, such as the chi-square test, and other delta-based measures. Before the arrival of microcomputers, the contribution of computers to teaching social research were limited and mixed. While social research has benefited enormously from the development of SPSS, SAS, BMDP, and similar packages, learning statistical computations may have suffered. Spreadsheets can also help teach Gunman scales. With a spreadsheet, students can readily change one method to a different one and study its impact on the reproducibility of the scale.
