COMSTECH Webinar on “Foundations of SPSS for Master’s Students and Early-Career Researchers”
Date: 12th-13th January, 2026 at 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Organized by: OIC-COMSTECH
Flyer: Click Here
Background
Many graduate students and emerging researchers face challenges in designing research questionnaires, coding variables, managing data, and selecting appropriate statistical tests. These challenges often weaken the quality of postgraduate theses and scientific publications.
IBM SPSS Statistics is one of the most widely used statistical programs in health, nutrition, education, social sciences, and behavioral research.
Purpose of the Workshop
The purpose of this 2-day workshop is to provide participants with a solid foundation in SPSS, covering essential skills for preparing datasets, performing basic statistical analyses, and interpreting results accurately. The workshop focuses on practical application, enabling participants to apply these skills directly to their research projects and improve the quality of their theses and publications.
Training Content
The workshop will cover the following main modules:
A. Research & Data Foundations:
- Understanding types of variables (IV/DV, categorical vs continuous).
- Levels of measurement and how they determine statistical tests.
B. SPSS Data Management
- Introduction to SPSS interface (Variable View & Data View).
- Creating variables, labels, and correct coding.
- Data cleaning: missing values, detection of errors.
C. Descriptive Statistics & Normality
- Frequencies, means, medians, standard deviation.
- Normality testing (Shapiro–Wilk, Q-Q plots).
D. Inferential Statistics
- Chi-square
- Correlation (Pearson& Spearman). Based on time
Training Objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
I. Correctly define variables and understand their levels of measurement to prepare research datasets for analysis.
II. Enter, code, and clean data in SPSS, including handling missing values and basic data checking.
III. Perform essential statistical analyses in SPSS (descriptive statistics and one inferential test such as Chi-square or correlation).
IV. Interpret SPSS output and write the results clearly in an appropriate academic format.
Target Population
The workshop is designed for:
- Master’s students in nutrition, health sciences, psychology, education, public health, and social sciences who are beginning quantitative research.
- Research assistants and early-career researcherswho need practical SPSS skills for data management and analysis.
Duration
Two days (2 hours per day), total of 3-4 hours.
Expected Outcomes
Participants will be able to:
- Build clean datasets in SPSS with correct coding.
- Perform basic descriptive statistics and one inferential test.
- Interpret SPSS output correctly.
- Use these skills to improve research projects or theses.
Resource Person: Salma Abu-Saleh, M.Sc. in Nutrition Science
Trainer – Research Methods & Statistical Analysis
Registration Details
- Deadline for Registration: 08th January
- Registration Fee: None
- Participation Mode: Virtual
Registration Link: Click Here
Zoom Link: Will be shared with virtual participants via email.
Contact Person:
Ms. Jabbina Fawwad
Program Officer
Email: pojabbina@comstech.org