A Call for Statistical Reform in EAQ

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to review research published by Educational Administration Quarterly (EAQ ) during the past 10 years to determine if confidence intervals and effect sizes were being reported as recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual .Research Design: The author examined 49 volumes of the journal, which included 245 articles from the most recent 10-year time frame. As the debate on statistical reform is focused on reporting confidence intervals and properly interpreting p values and null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST), the author examined all empirical studies from the 10-year time frame to determine if confidence intervals were included in the results and, if so, interpreted correctly. Because effect size measures are, alongside confidence intervals, at the heart of statistical reform goals in psychology, the author also examined effect-size practices in EAQ. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) were utilized to report the findings of the analysis.Findings: The results of the descriptive analysis indicated that effect sizes were being reported in the majority of quantitative studies with limited interpretation. In contrast, no quantitative study examined from the 10-year time frame reported confidence intervals, despite the recommendations of the APA Task Force on Statistical Inference and guidelines outlined in the most recent edition of the APA Publication Manual . Recommendations for statistical reform in reporting quantitative results in EAQ are presented, and future direction is discussed.