Usage Trends of Statistical Software in Educational Research: A Descriptive Study of Turkish Publications in SSCI Journals, 2010-2014

One of the most critical stages of the scientific research process is analyzing the collected data and reaching findings related to the research problem. Statistical software packages are frequently utilized in analyzing quantitative data. In recent years, many commercial software packages have been introduced to the market, significantly facilitating researchers in analyzing quantitative data. However, alongside these commercial packages, the use of R software, which is free and supports many different analysis techniques, has been increasingly widespread. R is a free software available on the internet for statistical analysis and creating graphics. It is an advanced version of the “S” language developed by Becker and Chambers and is open-source. This study aims to introduce R software and demonstrate how to calculate some basic statistical techniques. It also examines the frequency of use of R software and other statistical software in SSCI-indexed journals in the field of education sciences in Turkey over the years.