Available online
Description
This programme is intended to help the student understand statistical significance through the use of fairly basic examples. The concepts discussed are: sample, population, significance levels, sam...pling distribution of the mean, and the null hypothesis. The two examples used in the programmes deal with the comparative heights of British and Japanese children and the significance of any height to age difference, while the second example considers a common kind of problem in educational research, that of comparing two teaching methods. The programme concludes by asking the question whether results, even if statistically significant, are significant in any other respect, and what additional evidence is required before any action is taken.
This programme is intended to help the student understand statistical significance through the use of fairly basic examples. The concepts discussed are: sample, population, significance levels, sam...pling distribution of the mean, and the null hypothesis. The two examples used in the programmes deal with the comparative heights of British and Japanese children and the significance of any height to age difference, while the second example considers a common kind of problem in educational research, that of comparing two teaching methods. The programme concludes by asking the question whether results, even if statistically significant, are significant in any other respect, and what additional evidence is required before any action is taken.
| Module code and title: | E201, Personality and learning |
|---|---|
| Item code: | E201; 03 |
| First transmission date: | 06-03-1976 |
| Published: | 1976 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:24:28 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | David Seligman |
| Contributors: | Ann Floyd; Donald Holms |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Child height experiment; Distribution of the mean; Null hypothesis; Population; Sample; Significance levels; Statistical significance; Teaching methods experiment |
| Footage description: | The programme opens with the caption P<.O25 over which Donald Holms comments on the statistical significance of this result. In the studio, Ann Floyd briefly describes the use of statistical significance. Over stills of school-children, Holms explains why sampling is used to obtain statistical results. Floyd explains that samples cannot provide exact answers. Over an animated graph, Holms uses an example sampling children's height to explain the mean and the standard deviation of the graph. Floyd introduces the idea of regions of standard deviation, which Holms explains in greater detail with the aid of animated graphs. He explains how a probability level of .05 can be worked out from the samples of children's heights. Floyd comments on the relation of the .05 level to the concept of statistical significance. Over stills of Japanese schoolchildren, Holms uses the example of comparing the heights of Japanese and English children to explain the concept of a Null Hypothesis. Use also of an animated graph to demonstrate P<.05 in this example. Floyd introduces a second example in which the traditional method of teaching French is compared with the oral method. Using stills and animated diagrams Holms points out the main problems involved in this statistical calculation. Floyd then explains how to approach the problem. Over animated diagrams and graphs, Holms explains in detail how this problem is solved. Using pairs of samples to calculate a probability figure, he proves that the two teaching methods do not produce the same results. Floyd concludes by reviewing the two problems examined in the programme. She also generalises about solving statistical problems. |
| Master spool number: | 6HT/72100 |
| Production number: | 00525_6097 |
| Videofinder number: | 546 |
| Available to public: | no |
