t-Tests and ANOVA in Clinical Practice
t-Tests and ANOVA in Clinical Practice
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t-Tests and ANOVA in Clinical Practice
t-Tests and ANOVA in Clinical Practice: Inferential statistics enable researchers to apply the data they gather and the conclusions they draw from a particular sample to a larger population. As the name implies, inferential statistics focus on inferring whether there is a relationship between two or more variables. These statistical analyses include t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). t-Tests are part of a group of statistical tests that test hypotheses; in fact, it is necessary to formulate a hypothesis in order to use a t-test, because the results of the test can only be interpreted in the context of a scientific hypothesis.
Inferential statistics such as t-tests work well for comparing two groups. Although mathematically equivalent to the t-test, ANOVA allows for the comparison of more than two groups. Therefore, when three or more groups are involved, the ANOVA should be used.
In this week’s Discussion, you are asked to locate a current research article that utilizes either a t-test or ANOVA analysis. You provide a summary of the research study and of the study’s application to evidence-based practice. You also examine the article’s use of a t-test or ANOVA and how either of those statistical analysis tools helped to inform the article’s conclusions and recommendations.
To prepare:
Consider some of the important issues in health care delivery or nursing practice today. Bring to mind the topics to which you have been exposed through previous courses in your program of study, as well as any news items that have caught your attention recently. Select one topic to consider for this Discussion.
Next, review journal, newspaper, and Internet articles that provide credible information on your topic (you can choose any nursing topic from Confidentiality or Work Place Bullying or any other nursing related issue that will be easy to locate a scholarly research article on which uses a t-test or ANOVA)
Then, select one research article on which to focus that used inferential statistical analysis (either a t-test or ANOVA) to study the topic.
With information from the Learning Resources in mind, evaluate the purpose and value of the research study discussed in your selected article and consider the following questions:
Who comprised the sample in this study?
What were the sources of data?
What inferential statistic was used to analyze the data collected (t-test or ANOVA)?
What were the findings?
Ask yourself: How did using an inferential statistic bring value to the research study? Did it increase the study’s application to evidence-based practice?
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.