introduction to research statistics

Saturday, April 8, 2023 1

This course introduces some basic concepts of statistics to the students. The topics cover four main areas of discussion, namely (1) understanding data, componenst and distribution,(2) describing and summarizing data by the means of measures of central tendency and dispersion, (3) analyses of correlation, and (4) analyses of mean different. Classroom discussion will also highlight some applications of statistics in the context of language education.


easy and interesting and important for students and teachers or researchers to

Analyze and describe the result of measurement obtained in their own classrooms;

Understand the statistics used in test manual and research reports;

Interpret the various types of derived scores used in testing.


Upon the completion of the course, students are able to:1.Understand the basic concepts of statistics;2.Understand the element of data and how data are distributed;3.Describe and summarize data by using measures and central tendency and dispersion;4.Conduct simple statistics analyses of correlation and mean difference on provided data;5.Understand the validity and reliability calculation.

A test is valid if it measures what it purpose to measure.

The degree to which measures obtained with an instrument are consistent measures of what the instrument is intended to measure


Session Topic1 Syllabus overview, introduction to statistics2 Understanding data3 Measures of central tendency4 Measures of dispersion5 Data distribution, normal curve, and standard scores6 Descriptive and Inferential statistics, hypothesis testing.

Parametric and non-parametric test.7 Correlation: Pearson’s Product Moment Coefficient8 MID TERM TEST9 Prediction and Regression10 Calculating validity11 Calculating Reliability12 Comparing means: Independent t-test13 Comparing means: Dependents or paired t-test14 More exercises15 Review and 16: UAS


No Components of Evaluation Weight (%)

1 Attendance Ratio 15%2 Assignment and presentations 15%3 Mid Term Test 30%4 Final Test 40%

Total 100%The score from each component will be accumulated to be further graded. Grading policy will be based on the following criteria:

A 81-100B 66-80C 51-65D 21-50E <21Saturday, April 8, 2023 7

Main SourcesCoolidge, F. L.2000. Statistics: A gentle introduction. London: Sage.Kranzler, G & Moursund, J .1999. Statistics for the terrified. (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Butler Christopher.1985. Statistics in Linguistics. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.Hatch Evelyn & Hossein Farhady.1982. Research design and Statistics for Applied Linguistics. Massachusetts: Newbury House Publishers, Inc.Ravid Ruth.2011. Practical Statistics for Educators, fourth Ed. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publisher, Inc.Quirk Thomas. 2012. Excel 2010 for Educational and Psychological Statistics: A Guide to Solving Practical Problem. New York: Springer.

Other relevant sourcesField, A. (2005). Discovering statistics using SPSS (2nd ed.). London: Sage. Moore, D. S. (2000). The basic practice of statistics (2nd ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman and Company.


A Systematic process of collecting and logically analyzing data for some purpose.

A systematic approach to finding answers to questions.

A systematic inquiry that includes data collection and analysis.


To describe, explain, or predict present or future phenomena.

In the context of education, these phenomena are most likely to be behavior associated with the teaching and learning processes.


A research can be undertaken for two different purposes:

1.To solve a currently existing problem (applied research)

2.To contribute to the general body of knowledge in a particular area of interest (basic/fundamental research)


Select a

General

Problem

Conduct

Literature

Review

Exhaustive

Review

Preliminary Search later

Expanded

Select Specific

Research Problem Question or hypothesis

Decide Design

And Methodology

Collect Data Analyzes and

Present Data

Interpret

Findings

Statistical

Tables

Integrative

Diagrams

State Conclusion/

Generalization about Problem


A branch of mathematics concerned with the organization, analysis and interpretation of test scores and other numerical data.

The term statistics refers to methods and techniques used for describing, organizing, analysing, and interpreting numerical data.


Research design: the plan that describes the conditions and procedures of collecting and analysing the data


Research hypothesis: A tentative statement of the expected relationship between two or more variables.


Reseach method: procedure used to collect and analyze data.

Research problem: a formal statement of question or hypothesis that implies empirical investigation.


A population is the entire group or persons or things that have some characteristics in common.


A sample is a group of observations selected from the total population.


A parameter is a measure of a characteristic of the entire population.


A statistic is a measure of a characteristic of the sample.

A sample should be representative of the population because the statistics gained from the sample are used to estimate the population parameters.


A hypothesis is a prediction (an “educated guess) or tentative statement about the outcome of the study.

After the hypothesis is proposed, a study is designed to test the hypothesis.


Two types of hypotheses are used in research to explain phenomena and to make predictions about relationships between variables in a study.


The main hypothesis proposed by the researcher about the study’s outcome. It is the research hypothesis.

It predicts that there will be some relationships between variables or difference between means or groups


For example, the alternative hypothesis may state that there will be a positive correlation between students’ reading fluency and their reading comprehension scores.

Or , the alternative hypothesis may predict that students in classes where the teachers use differentiated instruction will score significantly higher on the end-0f-year spelling test compared with students in similar classes where teachers do not use differentiated instruction.


Also called a statistical hypothesis always states that there would be no differences between groups or means being compared, or no relationship between variables being correlated, beyond what might be expected purely by chance.


First example : we will conduct an experimental study to test the null hypothesis. This study would be conducted to test the effect of starting the school day half an hour later on students’ achievement test scores. In one junior high school in the district, the students would start their day half an hour later and in the other school in the district, the students would continue with the same schedule as in past years. The null hypothesis in this study states that there would be no different in the mean scores on an achievement test between the students in the two junior high schools who start school at different times.


Second example : the null hypothesis states that there would be no significant correlation between IQ and depression scores in college students. This hypothesis would be tested using a random sample of two hundred students from one university. IQ and depression scores of those students would be obtained and correlated to test the null hypothesis.


Suppose you are interested in the acquisition of English relative clauses. One possible research question might be: What is the relationship between similarity of these structures in first and second language and the subjects’ performance on relative clauses?

Based on your observations, intuition, and

information from previous research, form the hypotheses about the relationship?


1. There is a positive relationship between similarity of relative clause structures in the learners’ first language and English and their performance on English relative clauses (i.e., the more similar relative clauses are in the two languages, the fewer errors the learner will make).

2. There is a negative relationship between the similarity of relative clause structures in the learners’ first language and performance on English relative clauses (i.e., the more similar the language, the more errors students will make on relative clauses).


3. There is no relationship between learners’ first language and their acquisition of relative clauses.

Usually we try to reject the null hypothesis and support either the negative or the positive relation hypothesis (called the alternative hypothesis and characterized as H1)


1. Identify a research problem.2. Narrow the topic down as much as possible.3. Review the literature on the topic as

completely as possible.4. State the problem in a question form5. State the hypotheses about the expected

outcome of the research (either null or alternative).


1. Which of the following qualify as (a) library research questions, (b) broad research questions which would require some redefining before the question could be investigated, ( c )issues which would need to be completely redefined before research questions could be stated, (d) questions which are clearly stated research questions?(1)Why should the government finance English classes for refugee famililes?(2)What are the characteristics of the good language learner?(3)Does articulatory explanation improve students’ ability to produce the /i/ vs./I/ distinction?(4)Do high-anxiety students make fewer errors on compositions than low-anxiety students?(5)Does the Silent Way work better than Suggestopedia?(6)What is the “state of the art” in teaching pronunciation to foreign students?(7)Should immigrant children simply be placed in the classroom with other native speakers in order to learn English or should they take ESL?(8)Do vocabulary exercises help junior high ESL students learn more vocabulary than the use of bilingual dictionarier?(9)Does the student’s perception of similarities/differences in his or her first language and English influence transfer of syntactic forms from first language to English?(10)Is it important to give students a grammar rule before they practice a particular structure?(11)Is extended listening with delayed oral practice more effective than a total skills approach in initial language learning?


2. Select three of the question which you marked in category d (above) and state the possible hypotheses (positive, negative, and null) for each.


introduction to research statistics

Education

understanding data

element of data

data aredistributed3

andsummarizing data

final test

measures andcentral

inferential statistics

someapplications of