ESME506 QUANTITATIVE DATA ANALYSIS IN EDUCATION

Course Objectives

Comprehend basic concepts in statistics

Develop skills in understanding and applying descriptive statistical techniques.

Develop skills in understanding and applying inferential statistical techniques

Comprehend statistical assumptions

Understand standardized distributions (z-scores)

Understand the concept of the distribution of sample means and z for a sample mean

Develop an ability to use computers for statistical analysis of data.

Course Content

This course focuses on understanding and application of basic concepts and principles of descriptive and inferential statistics pertaining educational research. Topics covered in this course include review of descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analyses, and comparisons of means.

Course Learning Outcomes

Describe common statistical terms (e.g. statistic, parameter, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and sampling error) correctly in a statistical context

Identify the scale of a measurement of a variable

Identify whether a given variable is continuous or discrete

Create frequency distribution tables and appropriate graphs for given data

Compute the mean, median and mode as measures of central tendency

Compute measures of variability

Describe a data set (a set of scores) using appropriate descriptive statistics

Apply the appropriate inferential statistical technique to situations covered in class

Interpret the results of an inferential test

Summarize the results of inferential statistical techniques using APA style

Distinguish between parametric and nonparametric statistical tests

Describe the basic assumptions of a given statistical test

Determine when each of these assumptions is violated

Compute a z score for a given raw score

Interpret a z score for a given raw score

Use a unit normal table to determine the proportion of scores above or below any given z-scores

Distinguish between a population and a sample, and between parameters

and statistics.

Describe properties of the distribution of sample means in general situations, using the Central Limit Theorem.

Compute a z for a sample mean

Use the z score for a sample mean and unit normal table to determine how likely a given sample mean is to occur

Compute descriptive and inferential statistics using a computer program (i.e. SPSS).

Interpret the SPPS output for a given descriptive and/or inferential statistics