ABSTRACT
Descriptive research usually involves the presentation of information in a fairly simple form. Statistical packages: used to analyse statistical data in a research context one of the most widely used packages is the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and this is used here for demonstration purposes. Other packages include Minitab, Biomedical Data analysis (BMD), Statistical Analysis System (SAS). SPSS for Windows is the version of the package which is available for IBM-compatible personal computers using the Microsoft Windows system. Switching to the Data View window reveals that the variable names entered via the Variable View window have automatically been put in place, and the system is ready to receive data. Scale and ordinal variables are not pre-coded the actual value given by respondents is recorded in the data file. Graphical presentation of data is an aid to communication in most situations: for example, most people can see trends and patterns in data more easily in graphic form.
