Graph Helper
An important skill in this class is to know how to "translate" between research results presented in a narrative format and those presented in a graphic format. The information below is designed to help you to do that.
As an example of how to read graphs, let's consider the following (imaginary) study in which the classroom performance of students is being assessed.
In this study, personality testing identified children as being either extraverted (motivated by sociability, interactivity, and action) or introverted (motivated by solitude, privacy, and reflection). A sample of 50 students of each type were selected for research purposes.
Two classes were set up, each containing 25 of the extraverted students and 25 of the introverted students. Students in the two classes were taught identical material, but in two different ways. In one class, a highly interactive, discussion-based method was utilized. In the other class, a more traditional lecture-and-textbook method was utilized.
At the end of the semester, student grades on the final exam were used as the dependent variable or outcome measure in the experiment.
Take a look at the graph above. If you had to summarize the results of the experiment and their meaning (implications) in words (narrative format), how would you do it? Try your best, then click here for my answer.