(a)Take a look at some of the variables in this dataset. Is
the MTF dataset suited to nomothetic or idiographic explanations? Why?
(b) The link between a parent’s education and a child’s
subsequent outcomes is well documented in many different fields, from
criminology to health. Let’s look at the relationship between a parent’s
education level and whether a respondent has ever been suspended from school.
1. State a hypothesis about the relationship between parent
education and suspension.
2. Construct a cross tab for the variables lowparenteduc and
V7234 by selecting analyze->descriptives- >cross-tabs. Make sure to put
the independent variable in the column box and to select column cell
percentages.
3. What does this tell us about the relationship between
the two variables?
4. Do we have sufficient evidence to say that this is a
causal relationship? Which criteria of causality are met, and which are not?
5. What else do you think we might want to account for to
ensure that this is not a spurious relationship?
6. Think of at least three intervening variables/causal
mechanisms through which parents’ education might influence their children’s
risk of poor school performance.
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