GGGC8024 KAEDAH PENYELIDIKAN

KUANTITATIF
TUTORIAL 4
EFFECT SIZE AND CONFIDENCE INTERVAL REPORTING PRACTICES
Poor conduct or design of research ust a!"a#s $e a concern% The !ess ethica! researcher ight
a!ter ho" the# re&ort findings' inc!uding on!# inforation that su&&orts his or her h#&othesis' or
&resent resu!ts in such a "a# as to isinfor or is!ead the reader% Toda#(s educationa!
atos&here is high!# !aden "ith assessent and accounta$i!it# issues% Researchers need to $e
attuned to the need for effecti)e!# counicating the &ractica! i&act of research resu!ts in
addition to ere!# re&orting findings that are statistica!!# significant% The use of effect si*es and
confidence inter)a!s can $e +e# e!eents in aiding in this counication% Effect si*es &ro)ide a
eans of easuring &ractica! significance and confidence inter)a!s con)e# the &recision of
resu!ts% ,Effect si*e( is si&!# a "a# of -uantif#ing the si*e of the difference $et"een t"o
grou&s% It is eas# to ca!cu!ate' readi!# understood and can $e a&&!ied to an# easured outcoe
in Education or Socia! Science% It is &articu!ar!# )a!ua$!e for -uantif#ing the effecti)eness of a
&articu!ar inter)ention' re!ati)e to soe co&arison% It a!!o"s us to o)e $e#ond the si&!istic'
,Does it "or+ or not.( to the far ore so&histicated' ,/o" "e!! does it "or+ in a range of
conte0ts.( 1oreo)er' $# &!acing the e&hasis on the ost i&ortant as&ect of an inter)ention 2
the si*e of the effect 2 rather than its statistica! significance 3"hich conf!ates effect si*e and
sa&!e si*e4' it &rootes a ore scientific a&&roach to the accuu!ation of +no"!edge% For
these reasons' effect si*e is an i&ortant too! in re&orting and inter&reting effecti)eness%
A&&ro&riate' effecti)e and eaningfu! re&orting &ractices are critica! for counicating
research resu!ts correct!#% Thoughtfu! inter&retation of research and the a$i!it# of readers to sift
through good and $ad research ha)e gone $e#ond $eing ere!# a &art of courses in research
ethodo!og#% Effect si*e has $ecoe increasing!# recogni*ed as an i&ortant statistic that needs
to $e re&orted% Nuerous fie!d e0&erts ha)e stressed the need for effect si*e re&orting throughout
the socia! sciences' inc!uding education% 3Ni0 5 6arnette' 78894% 6oth the fourth and fifth
editions of the Aerican Ps#cho!ogica! Association 3788: and ;<<74 high!# recoend that
researchers re&ort effect si*es% Often tered &ractica! significance or' soeties su$stanti)e
significance 3Ro$inson 5 Le)in' 788=4' effect si*es &ro)ide a different' a!$eit re!ated' &iece of
inforation a$out ho" a treatent or other )aria$!e is i&acting the issue of interest%
There are )arious effect si*e indices a)ai!a$!e as "e!! as different ters used "hen referencing
effect si*es% Soe of the )arious descri&tors for effect si*e estiates inc!ude &ercent of )ariance
accounted for' strength of association' and agnitude of effect' aong others 3P!uc+er' 788=4%
Additiona!!#' corre!ation coefficients such as S&earan rho and the Pearson Product 1oent
Corre!ation Coefficient are soeties considered a t#&e of effect si*e 3P!uc+er 788=4% /edge(s
g' G!ass(s > ' and Cohen(s d are a!! )ariations of effect si*es for differences in eans $et"een
t"o grou&s 3Rosentha!' 788: and Cohen' 78994% Effect si*es for studies using statistica! ethods
e0aining corre!ationa! re!ationshi&s or )ariance re!ationshi&s ha)e easures such as eta?
s-uared 3@
2
4' R?s-uared 3R
2
4' and oega s-uared 3
2
) a)ai!a$!e for use 3Sn#der 5 La"son'
788A4%
Confidence inter)a!s ha)e $een acce&ted for -uite soe tie as a usefu! ethod for descri$ing
statistica! &araeter estiates such as sa&!e eans% A!though there are issues associated "ith
the !ac+ of uni)ersa! use of confidence inter)a!s in research re&orting' there ha)e $een recent
ad)ances in using confidence inter)a!s for statistics other than the ean and standard de)iation%
The use of confidence inter)a!s for other statistica! estiates is -uic+!# gro"ing as an i&ro)ed
"a# of re&orting ore inforati)e easures of estiates than &oint estiates% Cuing and
Finch 3;<<74 &ro)ide four reasons for researchers to gi)e confidence inter)a! estiates "hen
re&orting research findingsB 374 confidence inter)a!s &ro)ide $oth &oint and inter)a! inforation
that i&ro)es understanding and inter&retation' 3;4 the use of inter)a!s enhances the &ractice of
traditiona! nu!! h#&othesis re&orting' it does not negate it% That is' if a s&ecific nu!! )a!ue is $eing
tested and is found to fa!! outside of the co&uted inter)a!' it is reCecting the nu!! h#&othesis' $ut
"ith ore &recision' 3A4 the use of CIs a# ser)e eta?ana!#tica! ethods "hich focus on
estiation using an# sources of stud# data' and 3:4 inforation a$out the &recision of the stud#
and su$se-uent%
To su u&' an effect si*e is si&!# an aount of soething of interest% It can $e as si&!e as a
ean' a &ercentage increase' or a corre!ationD or it a# $e a standardi*ed easure of a
difference' a regression "eight' or the &ercentage of )ariance accounted for% 1ost research
-uestions in the socia! sciences are $est ans"ered $# finding estiated effect si*es' eaning
&oint estiates of the true effect si*es in the &o&u!ation%
A confidence inter)a! is an inter)a! estiate of a &o&u!ation effect si*e% It is an inter)a! that
e0tends a$o)e and $e!o" the &oint of effect si*e estiateD it indicates the &recision of the &oint
estiate% In the socia! sciences' statistica! ana!#sis is sti!! doinated $# nu!! h#&othesis
significance testing% /o"e)er' there is e0tensi)e e)idence that nu!! h#&othesis significance
testing is &oor!# understood' fre-uent!# isused' and often !eads to incorrect conc!usions% That
is "h# re&orting a&&ro&riate' effecti)e and eaningfu! re&ort are critica! for counicating
research resu!ts correct!#%
References
Aerican Ps#cho!ogica! Association% 3;<<84% Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association3Eth ed%4% Fashington' DC%
6e!ia' S%' Fid!er' F%' Fi!!ias' G%' 5 Cuing' G% 3;<<H4% Researchers isunderstand confidence
inter)a!s and standard error $ars% Psychological Methods' 10' A98?A8E%
Cuing' G%' 5 Finch' S% 3;<<74% A &rier on the understanding' use and ca!cu!ation of
confidence inter)a!s $ased on centra! and noncentra! distri$utions% Educational and
Psychological Measurement' 61' HA<?H=;%
Cuing' G%' 5 Finch' S% 3;<<H4% Inference $# e#eB Confidence inter)a!s' and ho" to read
&ictures of data%American Psychologist' 60' 7=<279<%
Cuing' G%' Fi!!ias' G%' 5 Fid!er' F% 3;<<:4% Re&!ication and researchers( understanding of
confidence inter)a!s and standard error $ars% Understanding tatistics' !' ;882A77%
Fid!er' F%' 5 Tho&son' 6% 3;<<74% Co&uting correct confidence inter)a!s for ANOVA fi0ed
and rando effect si*es% Educational and Psychological Measurement' 61' H=H?E<:%