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SPSS, or Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, is a software program commonly used for data analysis and statistical calculations. One of its features is the ability to calculate the median, which is the middle value in a set of data. To do so, users can input their data into the program and use the “Analyze” tab to access the “Descriptive Statistics” option. From there, they can select the “Frequencies” option, which will generate a table with various statistical measures, including the median. This allows users to efficiently and accurately calculate the median in SPSS for their data analysis needs.
Calculate the Median in SPSS
In statistics, the median represents the middle value of a dataset.
It is also equal to the value located at the 50th percentile.
The median is calculated by arranging all of the observations in a dataset from smallest to largest and then identifying the middle value.
The easiest way to calculate the median of a dataset in SPSS is to use Analyze > Descriptive Statistics > Frequencies.
The following example shows how to do so in practice.
Example: How to Calculate Median in SPSS
Suppose we have the following dataset in SPSS that shows the exam scores received by various students in some class:
To calculate the median value of exam scores, click the Analyze tab, then click Descriptive Statistics, then click Frequencies:
In the new window that appears, drag Exam_Score to the Variables panel:
Then click the Statistics button. In the new window that appears, check the box next to Median under the Central Tendency group:
Then click Continue. Then click OK.
The following output will appear:
This represents the “middle” value of exam scores.
We can verify that this is correct by manually arranging all of the values from the exam score column from smallest to largest and identifying the middle value:
Exam Scores: 68, 76, 85, 86, 88, 88, 91, 92, 94, 95, 95, 96, 97, 97, 97
The value 92 is indeed the middle value.
Related:
Additional Resources
The following tutorials explain how to perform other common tasks in SPSS: