Issue 27(1)
Statistics
for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics.
(2004) Neil J. Salkind.
Corwin Press (SAGE Publications. 424 pp., $46.95. (paperback),
ISBN # 1412924820.
Review
by: Aura Rios
Erickson, ESL Program
Shoreline
Community
College (WA)
Advisors
find statistics valuable when explaining academic advising to
administrators. Statistical information can prove valuable in
determining the type of advising interventions that are effective
with students. Statistics allow us to prove whether assumptions
about our work are true. Most importantly, they can provide us
with information about the students we serve.
Many
advisors find statistical concepts confusing and difficult to
use in a meaningful way. Even after successful completion of several
courses in statistics I find it a challenge to use statistics
effectively. Thus Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate
Statistics intrigued me. I had hoped to find something unique
in Salkind's text; I was somewhat disappointed.
Salkind's
Statistics for People Who (Think They) Hate Statistics, like
Rumsey's (2003) Statistics for Dummies, successfully
conveys complex concepts in a straightforward and simple manner.
Both texts organize their material using space, visual aids and
language in ways that maximize learning.
Salkind
uses humor effectively throughout his book. He writes in a light,
jovial, conversational tone that puts the reader at ease. At the
beginning of each chapter, he summarizes the key concepts that
will be addressed. In addition, he alerts the reader regarding
levels of difficulty of the concepts that will be addressed. This
allows the reader to pay close attention and take notes or read
slower. The summaries at the end of each chapter are very useful
as are the exercises and homework at the end of each chapter.
In addition, the charts guide the user in selecting the appropriate
statistical test.
The
author spent the first sixteen pages of the book building the
reader's confidence level; I felt that he spent a little too long
trying to do this. Another drawback of this book was that most
of the chapter exercises require the use of the statistical software
package SPSS. The author did not consider that some readers may
not have access to this particular software package and failed
to provide an alternative for readers without access to SPSS.
As a reader who did not have access to SPSS, I felt at a disadvantage.
I
believe every advisor should have a basic statistics book in his
or her bookshelf. While this book would be a good choice it does
not differ significantly from Statistics for Dummies, a
book that can be purchased at a better price while providing similar
benefits to the reader.
Reference
Rumsey,
Deborah. (2003). Statistics For Dummies. Somerset,
N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. $19.99.
