ID Number
Introduction
The use of statistics in behavioral sciences examines the relationships between variables. This paper discusses the application of statistical measures such as t-test, ANOVA, and chi-square on three different studies to determine the correlation between variables. The objectives of this paper include the following:
Article 1: The Effects of Participation in Athletics on Academic Performance among High School Sophomores and Juniors
An ongoing discussion concerning the impacts of participation in athletics on academic accomplishment has been around since the 60s. Recently, this issue has ballooned due to the imposed limits on budget for education. A lot of decision makers also found it comforting to cut programs intended for athletic development due to their notion that sports are not exceedingly beneficial and important in the area of academics. In the 80s, an argument was made stating that a number of secondary schools eradicated the extracurricular programs on the basis of financial expenditures without even taking into account the empirical knowledge of the beneficial effects of athletic programs on the overall development of adolescents.
According to Sitkowski (2008), the central concern the triggered the research is the correlation between athletic participation and academic performance. The main purpose of the study is to recognize the impacts of participation in athletics on the students’ academic performance (Sitkowski, 2008). In terms of students, Sitkowski gave special attention to the sophomores and juniors. Past studies claim that athletics lead to a low percentage of graduates in some American high schools. Inflated cases of athletes leaving their schools illiterate led to an increase in the eligibility standards of the NCAA. The rationale behind such eligibility standards is the organization’s belief that grade point averages in high school and standardized tests are great predictors of success in academics.
One of the four hypotheses tested claims that there is no difference in the grade point average of athletes that participate in sporting activities and the grade point average of those who are not involved in a sporting activity. Second hypotheses claim that there is no difference in the grade point average of female students while they are involved in sporting activities verses the grade point average during the period when the female students are not involved in sporting activities.
The variables tested in the study are as follows: The independent variable is the participation in school sport activities while the dependent variable is the grade point average. This study made use of t-test to investigate the variables. Initially, Sitkowski (2008) formed a descriptive statistic of the participants involved in the study. The researcher collected the grade point average before and after the season. Then, the data were further broken down by separating the grade point average of males and females. From the paired-test results, Sitkowski (2008) found that there was a significant difference between the grade point average scores of the student athletes during and after participation in school sport events. The study signifies that the grade point average scores increased because of participating in the sport events.
Another statistical measure that can be used in the study is the ANOVA in which the grade point average scores during and after the sporting event will be examined. This is a great tool to use owing to the fact that ANOVA has the capacity to present two forms of correlations such as the grade point average of the female athletes during and after the sporting events and the grade point average of the male athletes during and after the sporting events. T-test, on the other hand, presents the correlation separately.
Article 2: Prevalence of Family Violence in Clients Entering Substance Abuse Treatment
Almost every household keeps a medicine cabinet for non-prescription drugs for use in treating common physical ailments such as indigestion, constipation, headache, cold, and cough. These common household drugs are not entirely free of adverse side effects, and their use without a doctor’s advice must be done with restraint. The household medicine cabinet is not the only source of dangerous drugs. They may come from the most ordinary sources such as alcoholic beverages and coffee. Their normal consumption, however, does not produce significant ill-effects. The street is the usual source of illegal drugs. These illegal drugs are dangerous since they affect the users not only physically but also psychologically. The mind, behaviour, and emotional state are biochemically influenced by use of the dangerous drugs. These drugs have been legislated as illegal of the immense dangers that they present to users as well as the secondary effects on society that arise from their abuse. The government resorts to legal restrictions to prevent these drugs from getting into the hands of would-be users. Some individuals who do not have the strong will to stop using these drugs or who do not realize the dangers arising from their use need this kind of help from the government. This is also a way of protecting unwilling victims of drug pushers. Indirectly, a decrease in the drug abuse problem saves a huge sum of money that has been spent on medical treatments and/or rehabilitative programs. More economic benefits would also accrue to the country if most young citizens are healthy and productive.
Alcohol and substance abuse have been associated with the increasing incidence of family violence-related issues. This study focuses evaluates the prevalence and engagement in treatment of individuals entering substance use treatment with and without the histories of domestic violence. In this study, 130 clients were surveyed. Group differences in substance use, demographic, and violence-related variables were examined through the use of a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) for continuous variables. Results of the study signified that 37% of the sample reported experienced a history of physical violence and 22% were adult victim of physical violence, 14% were victim of childhood abuse, and 18% were perpetrator of physical violence. Through the use of ANOVA, it was found that there was a significant positive correlation between types of reported family violence. This study can also benefit in the use of t-test in which variables are analyzed separately. For instance, there will a separate correlation analysis for alcohol dependency and participants who experienced a history of physical violence and another analysis for alcohol dependency and participants who were adult victim of physical violence.
Article 3: Public Attitudes about Underage Drinking Policies
Underage drinking, once its presence is established, becomes an illness and not a moral problem. Nonetheless, with early intervention, it can be treated before it finally worsens. Alcohol drinking has been linked to various malfunctions of body organs and systems. Degeneration of the brain occurs from heavy consumption of alcohol. Personality changes are shown in symptoms like rationalization of drinking, pathologic lying, infantile behavior, poor judgment, hostility, emotional instability, defiance, denial of illness, and lack of insight. Physiologic reactions include temporary period of amnesia, withdrawal reactions, and severe hangovers. Excessive alcohol intake can also cause direct damage to heart tissues.
The main purpose of the study is to examine the behaviors of the adult public concerning underage drinking and several other alcohol control policies and geared towards reducing it. The independent variable is underage drinking and the dependent variable is the attitude of the public. The study hypothesizes that there is significant relation between the attitudes of the public for most of the policies on alcohol control for underage individuals and an opposite relation for policies that would create restrictions on access of adults to alcohol.
A chi-square test was used in this study. Over 900 participants were involved in the study. The outcome of the study demonstrated high levels of support from the public for most of the policies on alcohol control, with somewhat lower support for policies that would lead to restrictions on access of adults to alcohol. Respondents' support of the policy options was considerably related to their socio-demographic as well as attitudinal characteristics, including sex, drinking frequency, age, and level of concern regarding underage drinking. The findings offer significant guidelines to policymakers who are interested in gathering support for policies geared at restricting underage drinking.
This test can also benefit in the use of t-test and ANOVA. In t-test, variables are examined separately. For instance, there will a separate correlation analysis for attitudes of the public for most of the policies on alcohol control for underage individuals and a different analysis for the attitudes of the public on policies that would restrict their access to alcohol. On the other hand, when ANOVA is used, multiple tests are allowed such as a combination of attitudes of the public for most of the policies on alcohol control for underage individuals and their attitudes on policies that would create restrictions on access of adults to alcohol. The dependent variable and independent variables can be interchanged depending on the purpose of the study.
Conclusion
T-test is a statistical measure that tends to view the differences between two groups. The t-test is easier to conduct compared to ANOVA. However, ANOVA has the capacity of testing more than one variable. ANOVA is important because it allows researchers to see for instance the effectiveness of the two different forms of treatment. It immediately gives information as to which of the two factors or variables will work better. Chi-square is used to determine the results of the data being compared. All three statistical measures are effective in testing hypotheses.
References
Easton, C., Swan, S., & Sinha, R. (2000). Prevalence of family violence in clients entering substance abuse treatment. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 18(1), 23--28.
Richter, L., Vaughan, R., & Foster, S. (2004). Public attitudes about underage drinking policies: Results from a national survey. Journal of Public Health Policy, 25(1), 58--77.
Sitkowski, L. (2008). The Effects of Participation in Athletics on Academic Performance among High School Sophomores and Juniors. A Dissertation Presented To The Faculty Of The School Of Education Liberty University, 1-99.
