Introductory and Intermediate Statistics for Educational Research: Applied Linear Regression

EDU S040 1 Subject & Catalog Number

Description

Often when quantitative evidence is being used to answer questions, scholars and decision-makers must either analyze empirical data themselves or evaluate the analyses of others. This course will cover the basic principles of quantitative data analysis and is roughly comparable in content to the full-year S-012/S-030 course sequence in applied regression and data analysis. Students will examine real data gathered to address questions in educational, psychological, and social research settings, becoming acquainted with basic descriptive statistics, tabular and graphical methods for displaying data, the notion of statistical inference, and analytic methods for exploring relationships with both categorical and continuous measures. These topics will provide students with a solid foundation for addressing research questions through statistical modeling using simple and multiple linear regression. There will be an emphasis on applying the statistical concepts learned in this course--in particular, how to: (1) select the appropriate statistical techniques; (2) properly execute those techniques; (3) examine the assumptions necessary for the techniques to work appropriately; (4) interpret analytic results; (5) summarize the findings effectively; and (6) produce publication-style visual displays of results. Because quantitative skills are best learned through practice, computer-based statistical analyses will be an integral part of the course. There will be several problem sets involving the core concepts covered in class as well as several take-home assignments and a final project involving data analysis and the interpretation and reporting of research results.

Students are expected to attend two 75-minute class meeting a week: one main section meeting on Tuesday and one small group meeting on Thursday. There are two identical sections of S040: section 1 on Tuesday from 12:00P.M. - 1:15P.M. ET and section 2 on Tuesday from 4:30PM to 5:45PM. ET.  Please be sure to enroll in the section for the time that works best for you. Students enrolling in either section must also choose one of two small group meeting times during enrollment: small group 1 on Thursday from 12:00PM – 1:15P.M. ET or small group 2 on Thursday from 4:30P.M. – 5:45P.M. ET.  Students enrolling in this course must meet during both their section time on Tuesday and their small group time on Thursday each week.

No prior data analytic experience is required, but a working knowledge of basic algebra (GRE-level mathematics) is assumed, and some previous exposure to introductory statistics is advantageous. Recommended for most first-year Ph.D. students and any Ed.M. students wishing to enroll in a spring semester course that requires S-030 or S-040 as a prerequisite, such as S-052 or A-164. Please consult with the instructor if you have any questions about whether S-040 is right for you.