Statistics for Ling Research

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

This course uses a hands-on, interactive approach to introduce basic design, measurement, analysis, and inference procedures used in applied linguistics quantitative research, with an emphasis on understanding and using statistics and on developing foundational skills with computerized statistical tools. More broadly, the course addresses a range of topics critical to the accurate and ethical use of quantitative methods in language studies, including: (a) the purposes and roles of research; (b) literature review and the generation of research questions; (c) study design strategies for gathering, organizing, and analyzing quantitative data; (d) the importance of accuracy (and error) in developing and using measures and other data elicitation procedures; (e) critical reading of research reports; and (f) current concerns with the use of statistical significance testing, the role to be played by power analysis, effect sizes, and confidence intervals, and the future of quantitative research in applied linguistics.