In the educational research literature alpha, the a priori level of significance, and p, the a posteriori probability of obtaining a test statistic of at least a certain value when the null hypothesis is true, are often confused. Explanations for this confusion are offered. Paradoxically, alpha retains a prominent place in textbook discussions of such topics as statistical hypothesis testing, multivariate analysis, power, and multiple comparisons while it seems to have been supplanted by p in current journal articles. The unique contributions of both alpha and p are discussed and a plea is made for using both conventions in reporting empirical studies. (Author)