Statistics without Tears: An Introduction for Non-Mathematicians

This book is written for anyone who needs or wants to know how statistics work. It assumes no expert knowledge, and teaches through words and diagrams rather than through figures, formulae and equations - providing the perfect approach for the non-mathematical reader. Written as a "tutorial in print", Derek Rowntree includes questions in his argument; readers can answer them as they go, enabling them to measure their performance and judge how far they have mastered the subject.

CONTENTS of STATISTICS WITHOUT TEARS

Introduction.
How to use this book.

1. Statistical inquiry.
Making sense of experience.
What is statistics?
Descriptive and inferential statistics.
Collecting a sample.

2. Describing our sample.
Statistical variables.
Error, accuracy and approximations.

3. Summarizing our data.
Tables and diagrams.
Central tendency (averages).
Measures of dispersion.

4. The shape of a distribution.
Skewed distributions.
Introducing the normal distribution.
Proportions under the normal curve.
Comparing values.

5. From sample to population.
Estimates and inferences.
The logic of sampling.
A distribution of sample-means.
Estimating the population-mean.
Estimating other parameters.

6. Comparing samples.
From the same or different populations?
Significance testing.
The significance of significance.
Comparing dispersions.
Non-parametric methods.

7. Further matters of significance.
One- versus two-tailed tests.
z-tests and t-tests.
Comparing several means.
Comparing proportions.

8. Analysing relationships.
Paired values.
Three kinds of correlation.
The strength of a correlation.
The significance of a correlation coefficient.
Interpreting a correlation coefficient.
Prediction and regression.

Postscript.
Review.
Caution.

Bibliography.

Index.

Derek Rowntree has spent most of his working life in higher education. In 1969 he was appointed as one of the founding members of the Open University and played his part in developing new kinds of teaching to meet the challenges posed by the innovatory concept of 'open learning and distance education'. 30 years later, having stayed long enough to help a generation of academics learn how to teach and assess students they might never meet and, finally, to develop the first online courses, he retired as Professor of Educational Development.