There exists a variety of interval estimators for the overall treatment effect in a random-effects meta-analysis. A recent literature review summarizing existing methods suggested that in most situations, the Hartung-Knapp/Sidik-Jonkman (HKSJ) method was preferable. However, a quantitative comparison of those methods in a common simulation study…

The goal of this article is to introduce the topic of "learning to reason from samples," which is the focus of this special issue of "Educational Studies in Mathematics" on "statistical reasoning." Samples are data sets, taken from some wider universe (e.g., a population or a process) using a particular procedure…

Researchers may have multiple motivations for combining disparate pieces of evidence in a meta-analysis, such as generalizing experimental results or increasing the power to detect an effect that a single study is not able to detect. However, while in meta-analysis, the main question may be simple, the structure of evidence available to answer it…

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review research published by "Journal of Educational Administration (JEA)" and the "Educational Administration Quarterly (EAQ)" over the past ten years to examine the type of research reported and to determine if confidence intervals and effect sizes were being reported as recommended by the American…

A solid understanding of "inferential statistics" is of major importance for designing and interpreting empirical results in any scientific discipline. However, students are prone to many misconceptions regarding this topic. This article structurally summarizes and describes these misconceptions by presenting a systematic review of publications…

Evaluates arguments concerning the generality and statistical analysis of single-subject data. Considers the role of philosophy of science in evaluating research methodology. Single-subject data have special relevance for psychologists and educators who focus on the individual but statistical techniques for analyzing data have numerous…

Sixty-seven educational research journals were investigated to determine the frequency of usage of inferential statistical techniques therein. The most frequently used statistical methodologies in the literature reviewed, which utilized inferential approaches, are the following: analysis of variance, correlation, t-test, multiple analysis of…

This working paper contains the overheads used in a seminar designed to introduce some basic concepts of statistics to nonstatisticians. The seminar has been presented on several occasions. The first part of the seminar, and the first set of overheads, deals with the essentials of statistics, including: (1) population, sample, and inference; (2)…

Three versions of a probabilistic model adapted from the theory of information retrieval--a binary version, a version using the full value of the data, and a version using principal components--were tested and applied to data available from application forms to predict graduate school performance of library school students. (EM)