Book excerpt: Utilizing the latest software, this book presents the essential statistical procedures for drawing valuable results from data in the social sciences. Mobilizing interesting real-world examples from the field of education, Understanding Educational Statistics Using Microsoft Excel and SPSS supplies a seamless presentation that identifies valuable connections between statistical applications and research design. Class-tested to ensure an accessible presentation, the book combines clear, step-by-step explanations and the use of software packages that are accessible to both the novice and professional alike to present the fundamental statistical practices for organizing, understanding, and drawing conclusions from educational research data. The book begines with an introduction to descriptive and inferential statistics and then proceeds to acquaint readers with the various functions for working with quantitative data in the Microsoft Excel environment, such as spreadsheet navigation; sorting and filtering; and creating pivot tables. Subsequent chapters treat the procedures that are commonly-employed when working with data across various fields of social science research, including: Single-sample tests Repeated measure tests Independent t-tests One way ANOVA and factorial ANOVA Correlation Bivariate regression Chi square Multiple regression Individual chapters are devoted to specific procedures, each ending with a lab exercise that highlights the importance of that procedure by posing a research question, examining the question through its application in Excel and SPSS, and concluding with a brief research report that outlines key findings drawn from the results. Real-world examples and data from modern educational research are used throughout the book, and a related Web site features additional data sets, examples, and labs, allowing readers to reinforce their comprehension of the material. Bridging traditional statistical topics with the latest software and applications in the field of education, Understanding Educational Statistics Using Microsoft Excel and SPSS is an excellent book for courses on educational research methods and introductory statistics in the social sciences at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It also serves as a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the fields of education, psychology, and the social sciences who require a statistical background to work with data in their everyday work.