Unit 4: Empirical Science & Statistics

This is an archived version of this module from the academic year 2021-22.
Click here for the current iteration.

This unit covers:

• basics of the scientific method
• statistical tools for educational research

Learning outcomes

1. Be able to competently use the terminology of empirical science, such as theory, hypothesis, experiment, null hypothesis.
2. Be able to understand, explain, and evaluate empirical science research in the domain of education research.
3. Be able to qualitatively explain the purpose and use of statistical hypothesis tests.

Pre-session task

Watch the Veritasium video below on the Replication Crisis of Science and answer these guiding questions on on Slido.

Material

• slides

• Video · transcript (2021-10-28, 43:18): The Scientific Method, hypothesis testing, pitfalls

  
  Chapters

  0:29 Vocabulary
  4:18 Replication Crisis
  8:08 Scientific Method
  9:43 Design a Scientific Experiment
  11:01 Falsifiable Hypotheses
  12:11 The World Is Not Black and White
  13:27 Expectancy Value Theory
  16:31 Experimental Group
  16:36 Control Group
  17:32 Double Blind Study
  19:10 Average Mark Difference
  20:23 The Null Hypothesis
  24:03 Statistical Tests
  31:19 Average Variation
  33:07 The Forbidden Experiment
  

Further resources

• Crash Course Statistics
  accessible YouTube series giving some more details and lots of examples of how to use statistical methods

---

Unit 3  ⋅  Syllabus