Comparing groups
The tests you'll actually run on real data, taught the same way every time.
8 modules from the SPSS & Research Methods curriculum. Covers every core test for comparing groups, from chi-square through ANCOVA.
What you'll learn
By the end of this course
- Run and interpret a chi-square test of independence
- Choose between a one-sample and an independent-samples t-test and run either correctly
- Run a paired-samples t-test for before/after or matched designs
- Run a one-way ANOVA with post hoc tests and know what they're for
- Extend ANOVA to two factors and interpret an interaction
- Handle a repeated-measures design without violating its assumptions
- Reach for the right non-parametric test when your data won't allow a parametric one
- Control for a covariate with ANCOVA
Curriculum
8 sections · 8 lessons
Section 1
8 modules
Section 1
- Chi-square testsChi-square goodness of fit and chi-square test of independence, and which question each answers.~35 min
- One-sample and independent-samples t-testWhat question each t-test answers.~30 min
- Paired-samples t-testWhat makes data paired - before/after, matched pairs, two measures on the same person.~25 min
- One-way ANOVA and post hocWhy three t-tests is the wrong answer, with the inflated-error arithmetic on the slide.~35 min
- Two-way and factorial ANOVAMain effects and interaction, explained before any output appears.~35 min
- Repeated measures ANOVAWhen measurements are repeated on the same participants and why that demands a different test.~35 min
- Non-parametric alternativesWhen a non-parametric test is the right answer and when it is an excuse.~40 min
- ANCOVAWhat a covariate does and what "adjusted means" means.~30 min
About this course
Comparing groups is the commercial core of the curriculum — the tests that come up in most real analysis work, taught with one consistent structure so you're never relearning how to read the output. Every module moves through the same eight steps: when to use the test, its assumptions, the menu path, reading the output, effect size, how to report it, common mistakes, and what to do next.
Eight modules, about 4 hours and 25 minutes total. One-sample and independent-samples t-tests are the hub: paired t-tests and one-way ANOVA both build on it, and one-way ANOVA in turn feeds two-way ANOVA, repeated measures, non-parametric alternatives, and ANCOVA. Chi-square tests stand on their own.
This track assumes ground covered earlier in the curriculum — hypothesis testing, sampling, and a few modules from other tracks — rather than starting from zero.
Who it's for
- Learners who've worked through the earlier foundations, sampling, and reliability tracks and are ready for the core tests
- Anyone who needs to run and report the tests that show up in most real analyses
- People who want one consistent structure across every test, instead of relearning how to read output each time
What you'll need
- The specific prerequisite modules the table lists — A5, B7, C1, C3, and E2 — completed first
- Access to SPSS itself, since these modules work through the real menu path and output (unlike a pure-theory track, this one isn't software-free)
Start Comparing groups today
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