The Joy of Stats: A Short Guide to Introductory Statistics in the Social Sciences

This short but thorough guide approaches statistics with a sense of fun and intellectual excitement. Writing in a relaxed and conversational manner, Garner encourages even the most math-aversive readers to think about statistical material in words and to understand formulas in terms of concepts. This discursive approach to math and an insistence on linking concepts, formulas, and empirical examples in a holistic manner allows readers to choose their own routes to learning math-related ideas.

As a stand-alone text, a self-study manual, or a supplement to a lab manual or comprehensive text, The Joy of Stats offers a unique and versatile teaching tool. A "Math-Refresher" section and self-assessment test offer a concise review of all the needed math background. A "How-To?" section provides short handy summaries of data analysis techniques and explains when to apply them. Each chapter offers key terms, numerous examples—including real-world data—practice exercises and answers, and verbal algorithms as well as formulas. The result is an unrivalled guide for students of social science as well as for practitioners and policy-makers.

Comments:

"This is a great book for social science students.... It introduces them to a whole new way of looking at numbers and how they are applied in the real world. Clearly written, with many examples, Garner certainly makes learning and teaching introductory statistics a joy, indeed!" - Nikolaos Liodakis, Wilfrid Laurier University

Roberta Garner is Professor of Sociology at DePaul University. She is the author of Social Theory: Continuity and Confrontation (Broadview Press, 2000), Contemporary Movements and Ideologies (McGraw Hill, 1996), and Social Movements in America (Rand McNally, 1977). She enjoys sharing her passion for statistics and exploring the connections between the safe, happy world of theoretical concepts and the messy real world of social issues.