Demonstrates the advantages of a p-value as compared with a standard significance test procedure. Contains examples in the discussion of testing the mean of a normal distribution and testing a probability of proportion. (DDR)

Counters arguments of Donald N. McClosky on formalism in the social sciences and claims he fails to identify important arguments that justify the practices he criticizes. Agrees that, although exposing accepted methods to critical examination is useful, this broad attack implies the rejection of good social science as well as bad. (NL)

The mean and variance of the statistic psi-star, which is useful for measuring agreement between two raters and allows for tests of significance in the case of large samples, are considered. Results may also be applied for the "G" index of J. W. Holley and J. P. Guilford (1964). (SLD)

A critical reanalysis of Barrett, Caldwell, and Alexander's (1985) critique of dynamic criteria. Summarizes and questions Barrett, et al.'s three definitions of dynamic criteria and their conclusion that reported temporal changes in criteria could be explained by methodological artifacts. A greater focus on dynamic criteria as constructs is…

Responds to Austin, Humphreys, and Hulin's (1989) critique of Barrett, Caldwell, and Alexander, suggesting that the burden of proof still rests on the advocates of the concept of dynamic criteria, and that empirical support is lacking for the existence of dynamic criteria as a simplex. Contrary evidence from educational, organizations, and…

Two coefficients ("H" and "C") for evaluating the homogeneity or congruence of a set of ratings or scores are described. Statistical tests of the significance of these indexes are presented, along with a description of a computer program (CHOPRO) for determining values of "C" and "H" and associated…

The study examining the validity of statistical conclusions of 49 early intervention studies found that 4 percent had adequate power to detect medium intervention effects and 18 percent to detect large intervention effects. Low statistical conclusion validity has practical consequences in program evaluation and cost-effectiveness determinations.…

This commentary on EC 603 695 argues that significance testing is a necessary but insufficient condition for positivistic research, that judgment-based assessment and single-subject research are not substitutes for significance testing, and that sampling fluctuation should be considered as one of numerous epistemological concerns in any…

Considers reviews of L. Daniels's article on editorial policy regarding statistical significance testing and concludes that the controversy is not over, although the gradual movement toward requiring additional information in the reporting of statistical results is viewed as a positive trend. (SLD)

Statistical significance reporting and use in educational and psychological research is reviewed. An assessment of the use of statistical significance in articles published in MECD from 1990-1996 is presented. The elements of statistical significance (including sample size, effect size, and power), interpretation of results, common erroneous…

Addresses the state of the art in use of statistical significance tests and effect size interpretation, explicating the current debate regarding hypothesis testing; reviewing the newly published American Psychological Association Task Force on Statistical Inference report on statistical inference; examining current trends in reporting practices in…

Considers how if literacy is envisioned as a sort of competence in a set of social and intellectual practices, then scientific literacy must encompass the realization that "statistical significance," the cardinal arbiter of social scientific knowledge, was not born out of an immanent logic of mathematics but socially constructed and…

The present article reviews and distinguishes three related but different types of significance: "statistical,""practical," and "clinical." A framework for conceptualizing the many 'Practical" effect size indices is described. Several effect size indices that counseling researchers can use are summarized. (Contains 58 references.) (GCP)

Despite its widespread use in evaluation data analysis, statistical testing has come under persistent criticism resulting in calls for its rethinking, and even possible elimination (Carver, 1978, 1993). Saxon and Boylan issue a call "to strengthen developmental education research and to make it more accessible" (2003, p. 2). Among the types of…

This paper reviews criticism on misinterpretation and overuse of significance testing in the social sciences and examines use of effect size measures to enhance interpretation of significance testing. Review of typical effect size measures and their application is followed by analysis of use of effect size measures in studies reported over 10…