Reflection
During the Spring 2023 semester at Longwood University, I took a class titled “Sociology 346: Statistics for the Social Sciences.” This reflection will look back on this course and examine the curriculum, its outcomes, and its use in daily life.
In this course, I learned how to operate two very different statistical programs, RStudio and SPSS. For both programs we went over some basic functions first like how to input data and re-code variables. After this, we learned how to use the programs to do some basic math like how to find the mean, median, and mode of our data set. After learning how to do this, we began learning how to complete different tests within the programs. Tests like Independent T-Tests, Analysis of Variances (ANOVA), and Chi-Squares allowed us to examine the relationship between different variables within our data set.
While we were doing all of this work within the statistical programs, we were also learning how to do all of this by hand. We began with a review of basic math like order of operations and then we dove into measures of central tendencies and measures of variation. After we learned all of this, we were able to use that knowledge to complete these statistical tests by hand. As the semester went along, we learned new tests, what they did, and how to perform them.
Aside from all of the math-learning, I also learned and improved on some quality skills that will be used in the professional world. We did a lot of group work that involved collaboration and required the ability to rely on others. This class also required students to communicate clearly to learn and understand the material.
The material we learned in this course will be beneficial to our lives and careers. It is imperative that we are able to understand these tests and how they examine data sets. Statistics, or any kind of math, helps to build discipline and improve logical reasoning.
Being able to examine the relationship between variables using different statistical tests is used in daily life. For example, when offered a position at a company, that person can take the offered salary and use a Z-Score test to determine if that salary is close to the median and how many standard deviations it is from the median. If the pay is one or two standard deviations below the median then there is likely room to grow, earn more, and earn a higher title. If the pay is one or two standard deviations above the median then there is much less room for that person to expand and grow.
Looking forward, I am unsure how often I will be utilizing the knowledge gained from this course; however, I am confident that I will use it when necessary. Not only did we learn about statistics but we also learned some soft skills that I will carry wherever I go. Other skills that I will take away from this course include appropriate time management and organization and collaborative skills. I am grateful for the opportunity to take this course and I am appreciative of Dr. Pederson for all of her assistance and feedback throughout the semester.