Statistical significance testing should be discontinued in mathematics education research


Authors: 
Menon, R.
Category: 
Volume: 
5(1)
Pages: 
18-Apr
Year: 
1993
Publisher: 
Mathematics Education Research Journal, Australia
Abstract: 

It is claimed here that the confidence mathematics education researchers have in statistical significance testing (SST) as an inference tool par excellence for experimental research is misplaced. Five common myths about SST are discussed, namely that SST: (a) is a controversy-free, recipe-like method to allow decision making; (b) answers the question whether there is a low probability that the research results were due to chance; (c) logic parallels the logic of mathematical proof by contradiction; (d) addresses the reliability /replicability question; and (e) is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the credibility of results. It is argued that SST's contribution to educational research in genera, and mathematics education research in particular, as not beneficial, and that SST should be discontinued as a tool for such research. Some alternatives to SST are suggested, and a call is made for mathematics education researchers to take the lead in using these alternatives.

The CAUSE Research Group is supported in part by a member initiative grant from the American Statistical Association’s Section on Statistics and Data Science Education