IS THE P-VALUE REALLY DEAD? ASSESSING INFERENCE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE STUDENTS IN AN INTRODUCTORY STATISTICS COURSE

Abstract

In reaction to misuses and misinterpretations of p-values and confidence intervals, a social science journal editor banned p-values from its pages. This study aimed to show that education could address misuse and abuse. This study examines inference-related learning outcomes for social science students in an introductory course supplemented with randomization and simulation content. Learning gains were measured across a suggested taxonomy of inference learning outcomes using the Reasoning about P-values and Statistical Significance (RPASS-10) scale. Three graphical comparisons of students’ Pretest and Posttest proportions were encoded by learning gain or loss, an inference learning outcome taxonomy, or if a correct concept or misconception was assessed. What students learned and the difficulties that persisted shape recommendations for teaching and future research.

First published May 2017 at Statistics Education Research Journal Archives