Mary is planning a study to see if learning of 6th graders on a math lesson is affected by background noise level. She wants to use a t-test for independent groups to analyze her results. Help her plan her study.
What is her independent variable (IV) here?
The independent variable that she has entails studying the noise level
Describe two conditions she could create for the IV in her study.
Condition 1: When the lesson is being taught, it is important to ensure that music is being played at a low tone
Condition 2: It is vital to ensure that there is no background music to be played during the lesson
What is her dependent variable (DV) here?
The amount of the mathematic learned
Describe a way to measure the DV so that each participant would have one score at the end. Would this DV measure be on a continuous scale of measurement? Why is this important? Explain and justify.
One of the best means of measuring the DV entails obtaining one score that will have the ability of summarizing the information that was covered during the lesson.
The independent variable (IV) is 'background noise level'.
From the information collected, it is important for her to take into consideration the questions or the tests that they are given in the classroom. On the other hand, in case the main objective entails obtaining one score from each individual participant it is important to ensure that the same procedure have been used for the purpose of measuring each the work done by each participant. On the other hand, in case the main objective is to get a single score from each participant, it then implies that such a measurement will have the ability of offering the ultimate means of their competence (Gravetter & Wallnau, 2017). The reason for that is because the DV scale could be on the continuous scale.
Therefore, the freedom to select the methods of measuring the extent of accuracy or the amount of variables to be used is the one that have the ability of making such variables to be continuous. The significance of that is because the participants’ score will have to be measured for the purpose of creating a single score for each one of them. At the end of the day, it implies that the same procedure will have the potential of enabling researchers to evaluate the areas that they participants could have learned differently in the process of enabling them to solve their academic problems (Gravetter & Wallnau, 2017).
Consider Mary's experiment regarding whether learning of 6th graders on a math lesson is affected by background noise level. Mary has collected her data.
What is the null hypothesis for her study?
The background information that is being played in their classroom has not effect on their learning
What is the alternative hypothesis for her study?
Utilizing the t-test will be the best means of understanding the effects the background noise has on learning
What are the assumptions that must be met about her data before she can correctly use an independent t-test to test the hypotheses? Why?
Ideally, the general selection of independent t-test will only be valid if it has the ability of meeting its main criterion. One of the main criteria is that the dependent variable to be used in learning of 6th graders will be based on the effect they have on the continuous scale in the homogenous group from the normal distribution. In the process of testing this hypothesis, it is important for her to ensure that she has created data and conditions. It, therefore, implies that this condition will have to take into account members having the common strategy of redoing the mathematics lesson earlier taught by their instructor (Gravetter & Wallnau, 2012).
The next condition will entail associating with the same students so as to assist in ensuring maximum utilization of the math lesson. In so doing, it is important to ensure that some gadgets like earphones are prohibited during learning and windows are open to enhance sound clarity.
How would she see if her data met these assumptions?
At the end of the lesson, it is important for her to take into account the number of the students using earphones. This is to say that the learners who could have had the ability of completing at least 3 correct math questions should be indicated having an ordinal rank of 2. On the other hand, those students that will obtain less than 3 should be given an ordinal number rank of 1. Conversely, the number of students who will obtain an ordinal number of ones or twos will be based depend on their noise levels (Gravetter et al., 2018).
How much room does she have to violate any of these assumptions and still get accurate results from the t-test? Explain and support your answers.
N= 20.05
Df= 19.01
M= 14.03
Ho= 10.11
Sm= 4.00
T=2.09
Taking into account the T test of 2, it implies that the alternative hypothesis will be valid while the null hypothesis will be rejected. The reason for that is because her percentage (95%) will not be showing the impact noise has on their learning experience.
References
Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2012). Essentials of statistics for the behavioral sciences. Vancouver, B.C: Langara College.
Gravetter, F. J., & Wallnau, L. B. (2017). Statistics for the behavioral sciences. Cengage Learning Press
Gravetter, F. J., Wallnau, L. B., & Forzano, L.-A. B. (2018). Essentials of statistics for the behavioral sciences. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
