At the conclusion of this exercise, students should be able to:
1. Accurately interpret data in a cross-tabulated table.
2. Explain the role of variables (dependent, independent, and control) in a cross-tabulated table.
3. Create an accurate and easily interpretable cross-tabulated table, explaining design choices.
This module is designed for use in a family science course such as contemporary families or family demography. Students in this class are not assumed to have completed statistical or research methods training, so this exercise does not rely on specific statistical ability or acumen.
Marital status is an important characteristic that can tell us about the family formation patterns of individuals in a population. By tracking marital status changes over time and comparing the data to research on the cultural, individual, and familial shifts of the time, students will engage in basic data analysis and interpretation practice while reinforcing reading comprehension skills.
This module is designed for use in a family science course such as contemporary families or family demography. Students in this class are not assumed to have completed statistical or research methods training, so this exercise does not rely on specific statistical ability or acumen.
At the conclusion of this exercise, students should be able to:
1. Accurately interpret data in a cross-tabulated table.
2. Explain the role of variables (dependent, independent, and control) in a cross-tabulated table.
3. Create an accurate and easily interpretable cross-tabulated table, explaining design choices.
Substantive knowledge: this lesson will be used early in the course to help students visualize changes to family structures through exploring trends in marital status over time, paying special attention to trends by age and sex. After having read Chapter 2, “Pathways to Family Formation” in Families in America (Brown, 2018), students should be familiar with major trends in marriage. Seeing these trends in a visual format, particularly in tables they generate themselves, may help cement this knowledge and encourage new questions.