Direct Practice in Social Work by Scott W. Boyle, Grafton H. Hull

My instructor selected this textbook for our Direct Practice Social Work class. Throughout this class I found this textbook easy to read because the authors did not try to cram "everything but the kitchen sink" in the chapters yet this textbook was comprehensive about the subject matter. Some chapters had practical applications or exercises to reinforce the subject matter. The index was inclusive for quick reference and the layout were easy on the eyes. This textbook is a "keeper" which I'll refer to in the future.

This is a very nicely written and popular text on applied multivariate analysis. It does not provide theory but teaches how to use and interpret results from software packages. It has a good set of examples.

I have taught statistics at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The graduate-level lab I teach uses this book by Tabachnick. The students do not like it, and, having been a student who used a previous edition of this book myself I can say that I did not like it either. Tabachnick's writing is far too piecemeal to be of any real use to someone trying to conceptually understand the material being learned. She presents statistics in a disjointed sort of way, spending WAY too much time discussing various statistical software packages. This latter fact, in and of itself, greatly detracts from the book in my opinion. The software stuff should be removed and placed in a supplemental workbook.

I have taught statistics at both the undergraduate and graduate level. The graduate-level lab I teach uses this book by Tabachnick. The students do not like it, and, having been a student who used a previous edition of this book myself I can say that I did not like it either. Tabachnick's writing is far too piecemeal to be of any real use to someone trying to conceptually understand the material being learned. She presents statistics in a disjointed sort of way, spending WAY too much time discussing various statistical software packages. This latter fact, in and of itself, greatly detracts from the book in my opinion. The software stuff should be removed and placed in a supplemental workbook.

This is an extremely useful book to have on your shelf. It provides easy to understand, applied concepts in multivariate stats, covering regression, logistic, SEM, and more. I find the syntax examples in SAS and SPSS to be especially helpful. When appropriate it also points you in the direction of more advanced references. I use it all the time and have found it to be invaluable.

Using multivariate statistics is my favourite statistics book, and possibly my favourite textbook. This book is so clearly and simply written that it has made me comfortable tackling multivariate problems.

As I read the book, the feeling I get is that the author desperately wants me to understand what is going on. She is not showing off how much they know, she is not just writing a summary of the field, and she is not writing a textbook designed to make an instructor's life easier with plenty of problems rather than elucidating examples.

The book is a little more advanced than I typically need in my work which only rarely goes beyond bivariate cases, but it is so well written that I find I am able to determine which tests are appropriate and apply them correctly. I only wish other textbooks were written so well.

Using multivariate statistics is my favourite statistics book, and possibly my favourite textbook. This book is so clearly and simply written that it has made me comfortable tackling multivariate problems.

As I read the book, the feeling I get is that the author desperately wants me to understand what is going on. She is not showing off how much they know, she is not just writing a summary of the field, and she is not writing a textbook designed to make an instructor's life easier with plenty of problems rather than elucidating examples.

The book is a little more advanced than I typically need in my work which only rarely goes beyond bivariate cases, but it is so well written that I find I am able to determine which tests are appropriate and apply them correctly. I only wish other textbooks were written so well.

There's a reason why some students leave out the first and soften the second 't' in the word 'statistics'. Well, not if working with this book.
Doing a lot of multivariate analyzes in the course of my research and teaching research-methods to graduate students, I repeatedly find this book a treasure I would not want to do without. The advice is well organized, hands-on with guidelines to follow and explanations on how to run and interpret analyzes in SPSS, it's sufficiently detailed (though not overbearingly so) and quite complete, and clearly written and easy to understand (honestly, whoever tells you differently hasn't read any of the alternatives).
Yes, the price is scary - unfortunately, since that price is the only thing keeping this book from being a best-seller and a student-favourite. However, if you plan on doing any multivariate stats for a little bit longer than a few months (longer than your University Library will be happy to lend this book to you, that is), it pays off. This book is excellent, and often, after searching through my SPSS handbooks, my Stevens and Cohens (all very good books themselves), I return to this one, finally finding the information I need, and in the digestible format that I need. A definite keeper.

There's a reason why some students leave out the first and soften the second 't' in the word 'statistics'. Well, not if working with this book.
Doing a lot of multivariate analyzes in the course of my research and teaching research-methods to graduate students, I repeatedly find this book a treasure I would not want to do without. The advice is well organized, hands-on with guidelines to follow and explanations on how to run and interpret analyzes in SPSS, it's sufficiently detailed (though not overbearingly so) and quite complete, and clearly written and easy to understand (honestly, whoever tells you differently hasn't read any of the alternatives).
Yes, the price is scary - unfortunately, since that price is the only thing keeping this book from being a best-seller and a student-favourite. However, if you plan on doing any multivariate stats for a little bit longer than a few months (longer than your University Library will be happy to lend this book to you, that is), it pays off. This book is excellent, and often, after searching through my SPSS handbooks, my Stevens and Cohens (all very good books themselves), I return to this one, finally finding the information I need, and in the digestible format that I need. A definite keeper.

This is the 'statistical bible' for graduate students or professors performing multivariate statistics in their research. It explains every concept, provides examples, and explains different statistical programs. All of this information is provided in easy to understand terminology. It is worth the steep price tag because I use it all the time. As a researcher, I perform multivariate stastics frequently and this book is a great resource.

This book is a classic. It is the first major purchase you should make for multivariate techniques. In my opinion, it is not a theoretical book, yet it is not a cookbook either. For novices, it provides enough rigor and theory to prevent one from having too many unanswered questions. However, it does not bombard the reader with so much theory that practicality is lost. It's a great way to begin looking at multivariate stats. If your research necessitates deeper analysis, you can find it in other books, but without an adequate foundation, such as that provided for by this book, it will be difficult to tackle more advanced texts. The book costs too much, which is a drawback. It is a shame that books are getting in the ridiculous category for pricing. With that said, this is a book that you will be able to keep for quite a while. The techniques presented are durable and the conepts are timeless for the most part. New statistical methods that are currently being developed are generally available in small booklets ...for cheap prices. Reading this text will make most of those 'new' methods understandable. So, in that regard, it may be a good purchase. But, your best bet is to hit the college bookstore a week before the semester to find a used copy in excellent condition. For the reviewer from Brazil, he should put down the thesaurus and re-read the book. For the rest of us, let's be thankful for people like that for they often return these books to the bookstore in a huff of frustration, with the books barely opened and ripe for the taking at a used price. Great text, should stay on your shelf for years, just try to find a good deal on one.