Discovering Statistics Using R
- Andy Field - University of Sussex, UK
- Jeremy Miles - RAND Corporation, USA
- Zoë Field - University of Sussex, UK
Keeping the uniquely humorous and self-deprecating style that has made students across the world fall in love with Andy Field's books, Discovering Statistics Using R takes students on a journey of statistical discovery using R, a free, flexible and dynamically changing software tool for data analysis that is becoming increasingly popular across the social and behavioural sciences throughout the world.
The journey begins by explaining basic statistical and research concepts before a guided tour of the R software environment. Next you discover the importance of exploring and graphing data, before moving onto statistical tests that are the foundations of the rest of the book (for example correlation and regression). You will then stride confidently into intermediate level analyses such as ANOVA, before ending your journey with advanced techniques such as MANOVA and multilevel models. Although there is enough theory to help you gain the necessary conceptual understanding of what you're doing, the emphasis is on applying what you learn to playful and real-world examples that should make the experience more fun than you might expect.
Like its sister textbooks, Discovering Statistics Using R is written in an irreverent style and follows the same ground-breaking structure and pedagogical approach. The core material is augmented by a cast of characters to help the reader on their way, together with hundreds of examples, self-assessment tests to consolidate knowledge, and additional website material for those wanting to learn more.
Given this book's accessibility, fun spirit, and use of bizarre real-world research it should be essential for anyone wanting to learn about statistics using the freely-available R software.
Supplements
Excellent book - we are slowly moving towards R and in the next year or two will change the course to R so that we can make it essential text. Field always writes excellent stats guides.
This book is as good as the first Andy Field books but it will require a lot of self study to learn how R works before it can be used as a main reference for a course. I will consider using it for teaching postgraduates.
As in previous Andy Field’s book, the reader will be please to be familiar not only with the statistical methodology but with a new software to analysis the data in a casual and pleasant way.
Theoretical backgrounds explaining the foundation of statistics are exactly the same than Andy Field’s previous book “Discovering statistics using SPSS”. Hence, for whom is only interested in how using R and has already read that one, that gives an impression of big redundancy. However, it would be dishonest to say that it is just a “copy and paste” from the previous book. There are valuable parts that had been added such the bootstrapping procedure in the regression chapter.
Realizing that it is the authors’ way to write long paragraph to make their points, I regret that sometimes to find a valuable piece of information, I have to read a lot… even if it funny and very readable.
It is already a big book but maybe a chapter about cluster analysis could find some place instead of another one.
I have two types of students in my classes, the ones who are very numerate and will likely benefit from learning R and ones who aren't and struggle with SPSS. I will be assigning the Discovering Statistics Using R for the numerate students and the SPSS version for those who will be sticking with SPSS.
I love this book. Andy Field's "Discovering Statistics.." series is one of the best regarding statistics. And R is a statistics software that is much more powerful than SPSS. As a consequence, I competely moved to R and this book for teaching my PhD students about statistics.
We choose SPSS as the program for statistics,
This book has been listed as supplemental for my course as it allows a gentle introduction into analysis via R for the undergraduate students.
I have recommend for my post graduate students particularly for Master by Research and Doctorates in Business Administration. This book is easy to understand as compared to other statistics book when it required interpretation of R square result.
I absolutely agree with the comment of a colleague, Anne Schewe, on this page:
"I will recommend this book to my students who need R or want to use R rather than SPSS - it's as phantastic as the SPSS version in my eyes!"
This book includes lots of practical advise. There are lots of good examples and helpful tips. Also very easy to use.
