Which test to use

[Muhammad Rashid Hafeez]

Dear All

I am a language teacher, and am confused about what test to use for my study. I have test scores of five skills. I want to know which skills my students are good at and which skills they are poor in. Any test of comparison that could help me?????

Please respond

Rashid

 

[maartenbuis]

I would start with the interocular trauma test: plot the data, look at it, and see if there is any pattern that "hits you between the eyes". I would start with five histograms of the five test scores and compare those. (actually I would not, I would probably compare quartile plots, but it takes some training to read those.) If you want to use the results to tailor your courses to your students, then I guess that is enough.

What a formal statistical test can give you on top of looking graphs, is that it can protect you from seeing a pattern when you actually have random noice.