Looking Beyond Statistical Significance

In our latest episode, Brian welcomes Chief Data Science Officer Andrew Coulson back to the show to discuss the topic of Statistical Significance. Andrew provides an overview of the concept, and explains how taking a binary perspective toward statistical significance can lead to misinterpretation and misinformation. They discuss the American Statistical Association's recommendation to get rid of the term entirely, which is gaining support in the scientific community. They also use point to a recent evidence review which provided a textbook example of ignoring promising study results because of a binary perspective. As always, Andrew provides some takeaways for educators about looking beyond one metric or one study when gathering information on a tool or resource for districts, schools and classrooms.


Topics Covered in the Podcast:

0:45 Intro
3:15 - What is Statistical Significance?
4:30 - The Problem with a Binary Mindset
6:15 - Misinterpretations and Missing Results
9:00 - ASA Moves Away from Statistical Significance
12:00 - Factors that Affect Statistical Significance
13:20 - Don't Rest on One Result
17:30 - Takeaways

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