Statistical significance and averages are two pieces of statistical information that are often presented as evidence in support of researchers' conclusions and teaching recommendations. In this article, I consider interpretation of this information as research evidence for ELT. In simple terms that will be accessible even to readers without any…

Since the 1970s, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has monitored the academic performance of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students with what have become known as the long-term trend assessments. Four decades of results offer an extended view of student achievement in reading and mathematics. Results in this report are based on the…

The number of students with learning disabilities (LD) attending postsecondary institutions has increased steadily over the past two decades. Many of these students have language-based learning difficulties that create barriers to success in foreign language (FL) courses. Many institutions have responded by providing these students with exemptions…

Second language acquisition (SLA) as a discipline has not had a long history and, as any new discipline, has seen growing pains over the years. This research timeline traces the development of the increased and more sophisticated use of statistics in SLA research and the increasing demands for rigor in their use. Use of statistical procedures has…

For over a decade, research studies of mathematics education in high-performing countries have pointed to the conclusion that the mathematics curriculum in the United States must become substantially more focused and coherent in order to improve mathematics achievement in this country. To deliver on the promise of common standards, the standards…

Discusses the concept of reliability in language testing and considers several simple ANOVA (analysis of variance) models which can be used to define and estimate reliability coefficients. Summarizes the main statistical results associated with the commonly used measurements of reliability. Presents results likely to be of use to language testers.…

Practical examples from everyday life, spanning personal financial matters to traveling and even cooking conversions are the lessons offered in this useful guide. The vast majority of older students and adults who come to America come from countries that use the metric system. Learning a new system for measuring, telling time, and so forth is…

Three essays on the ways in which colleges and universities use the computer as a teaching tool are presented, along with descriptions of 10 school programs that reflect the diversity of computer applications across the United States. In "A Place for Computing in Liberal Education," Karl L. Zinn likens the computer to personal resource…