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Evaluating Significance of Findings

Walden University

RSCH 8210: Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis

Dr. Randy Heinrich

October 3, 2021
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Scenario 1

“A results report that does not find any effect and also has small sample size (possibly no effect

detected due to lack of power).

A one-way analysis of variance was used to test whether a relationship exists between

educational attainment and race. The dependent variable of education was measured as number

of years of education completed. The race factor had three attributes of European American (n =

36), African American (n = 23) and Hispanic (n = 18). Descriptive statistics indicate that on

average, European Americans have higher levels of education (M = 16.4, SD = 4.6), with

African Americans slightly trailing (M = 15.5, SD = 6.8) and Hispanics having on average lower

levels of educational attainment (M = 13.3, SD = 6.1). The ANOVA was not significant F (2,74)

= 1.789, p = .175, indicating there are no differences in educational attainment across these three

races in the population. The results of this study are significant because they shed light on the

current social conversation about inequality.” (Laureate Education, 2016a).

Sample Size

There is a minimal sample size noted in this scenario, showing data from only 77

participants. This number is barely above the minimum of 50 participants for hypothesis testing

reported by Frankfort-Nechmias et al. (2020). Given the small sample size, the results are not

likely to be representative of the overall racial groups studied. Furthermore, the races are not

represented in equal parts for the research study. The Hispanic participants were doubled by the

European American participants (Laureate Education, 2016a). This difference in the number of

participants could account for the findings showing European Americans have higher levels of

education and Hispanics have lower levels of education. For accurate data, the populations

should be represented in an equal manner.

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Meaningfulness

As Dr. Matt Jones (Laureate Education, 2016b) indicated, meaningful results have real-

world application. Though this scenario notes no effect on the real world, the research is

meaningful because it highlights a gap in education between racial groups. Additionally, no

effect may have been noted due to limited sample size and nonproportional representation in the

racial groups. Given this information, a conclusion that the results are not meaningful is not

appropriate.

Statistical Significance

Having a p-value of 0.175, the results gathered in the above scenario are not statistically

significant. The null hypothesis of race having no effect on educational attainment is supported,

rejecting the research hypothesis of race impacting educational attainment (Laureate Education,

2016a).

Implications for Social Change

Furthering education for minority populations is a social change movement that has been

present for a long period of time. Given the scenario data, opportunities for the Hispanic

population to further their education should be established in an effort to provide advanced

educational options for that specific population. This potential for further education has more

significant implications outside of the minority groups discussed in the research. Educational

equality should be pursued for all races. It would be beneficial to conduct further research that is

inclusive of not only a larger sample size but also of more races than the noted three.

Scenario 2

“Statistical significance is found in a study, but the effect in reality is very small (i.e., there was a

very minor difference in attitude between men and women). Were the results meaningful?
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An independent samples t test was conducted to determine whether differences exist between

men and women on cultural competency scores. The samples consisted of 663 women and 650

men taken from a convenience sample of public, private, and non-profit organizations. Each

participant was administered an instrument that measured his or her current levels of cultural

competency. The cultural competency score ranges from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating

higher levels of cultural competency. The descriptive statistics indicate women have higher

levels of cultural competency (M = 9.2, SD = 3.2) than men (M = 8.9, SD = 2.1). The results

were significant t (1311) = 2.0, p < .05, indicating that women are more culturally competent

than are men. These results tell us that gender-specific interventions targeted toward men may

assist in bolstering cultural competency.” (Laureate Education, 2016a).

Sample Size

The sample size in the above scenario is 1,313 total participants. It is indicated in the

scenario that data from two participants are not utilized when completing statistical analysis

[t(1311)] (Laureate Education, 2016a). This sample size aligns with Frankfort-Nachmias et al.’s

(2020) notation that the sample size should be more significant than 50 for any hypothesis

testing. Furthermore, the large sample size further indicates a better representation of the

population than a smaller one would be. It is also important to note that each gender is

represented in close to equal numbers, with men making up 650 participants in the research and

women making up 663 participants (Laureate Education, 2016a).

Meaningfulness

As indicated by Dr. Matt Jones (Laureate Education, 2016b), meaningful data has an

impact when applied in the real world. Given the large sample size associated with the above

scenario, there is a higher likelihood that the data is representative of the population and may,
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then, have real-world application; however, the scenario notes little difference in attitude

between men and women regarding cultural competence. Since there is a small effect noted in a

real-world application, the results of this study are not meaningful. This can be interpreted as

gender having no significant impact on cultural competence.

Statistical Significance

Statistical significance was found in the scenario study, noting a p-value of less than 0.05.

This value then rejects the null hypothesis, allowing for only a 0.05 probability that rejection was

inappropriately determined (Warner, 2012; Frankfort-Nechmias et al., 2020). Gender was found

to have an impact on cultural competency, supporting the research hypothesis (Laureate

Education, 2016a). Furthermore, statistical significance implies that the sample results are also

present in the population (Ward Petty, 2019).

Implications for Social Change

Laureate Education (2016a) highlighted that interventions specifically tailored to a male

population would likely elevate cultural competency. This being true, it is also noted that there

is, in the real world, little difference between the attitudes of men and women regarding cultural

competency (Laureate Education, 2016a). With similarities in attitudes understood, increasing

cultural competence and understanding of diversity and intersectionality among all individuals

would promote social change effectively. There is not a significant gap in perceptions between

men and women, making specifically targeting only men unnecessary when promoting social

change on a macro level.

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References

Frankfort-Nachmias, C., Leon-Guerrero, A., & Davis, G. (2020). Social statistics for a diverse

society (9th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Laureate Education. (2016a). Week 5 scenarios. Retrieved from

https://class.content.laureate.net/84632dcc5b0764da984a48ba2c267513.pdf

Laureate Education (Producer). (2016b). Meaningfulness vs. statistical significance [Video file].

Baltimore, MD: Author.

Ward Petty, N. (2019). Understanding Statistical Significance - Statistics help.

Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwBW1aWic_Y

Warner, R. M. (2012). Applies statistics from bivariate through multivariate techniques (2nd ed.).

Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.