I attempt to be more positive than negative on this blog, but occasionally a negative issue needs to be dealt with, and today is a day for it! I have 180 questionnaires completed and in my possession and I am receiving some pastoral assistance in getting to my goal of 200 plus questionnaires received. With my advisor’s approval I am compiling my statistics while still collecting surveys from respondents.
My University has required that I use Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, also known as SPSS software in order to compile my questionnaire results and complete my statistics. Back in 2001 when I attended my previous University and was working on a MPhil dissertation, my advisor explained I needed SPSS and so I ordered a copy through the information technology department and received a discount since I was a student. I think I paid approximately 40 pounds. This seemed fair but the software never worked and would not load on my computer properly and I ended up having to use limited Microsoft Excel software to complete the statistics for my MPhil dissertation.
For the PhD dissertation through my current University, I am expected to use SPSS once again and so in 2004 my advisor had me order the SPSS Student Version 11.0 for Windows which I believe cost me over $150.00 Canadian. I needed a letter from my academic department to prove that I was a student in order to purchase that version of SPSS. I loaded the software on to my computer and went through the tutorial a couple of times the last few years to familiarize myself with software, however, I was not ready to analyze the statistics at that time.
Monday, I began compiling results and started with the very first questionnaire, and figured out the basics that day. However, once I arrived at line 51 depth wise, as in question 51 on the questionnaire, I was informed the following by the SPSS software:
Maximum number of variables exceeded.
A variable is an attribute on which cases vary. Cases can be for example, people and things. Bryman (2004: 29). I was simply attempting to place my other 16 questionnaire questions on the list and the software was prohibiting this from taking place. This was of course a negative event! I did some research in my related texts and on the net and could find no answers to my problem. I called SPSS in Chicago today and was informed that they offered no support for my old 2001 version and I would have to purchase a newer version. I then asked the person if someone could at least inform me on how I could get past line 50 and she stated that the Student Version would not go past line 50 and was not made for dissertation students! I was told that I needed to buy Graduate Version 14.00 that she thought would work for me, but could not verify this as fact and I eventually found Version 15.00 on the web from a retailer. The retail company representative I talked to on the phone could not verify with me that Graduate Version 15.00 would do the required job and treated me like I was an idiot for expecting someone from their company to know which product I should purchase from them. She suggested that I call SPSS to find out which version I should purchase.
I ordered the product for over $300 Canadian this afternoon! What a wonderful discounted rate for a full-time PhD student without a full-time job, and my order is on hold for seven days until this retailer receives confirmation from my University that I am indeed a registered student. I am very unimpressed with the service from both SPSS and this retailer. I have twice previously purchased SPSS and both times the software has not done the job. The first time it would not even load properly on my computer and the second time it would not even allow a variable past 50. I think I have been ripped off here, and now I am faced with a large bill without technical verification from either the manufacturer or the retailer that the product will actually suffice for my work. This is very poor service!
Russ
BRYMAN, ALAN (2004) Social Research Methods, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Additional:
A link concerning Madeleine McCann, the English girl missing in Portugal.
