The Purpose and Power of Reporting Effect Sizes in Nursing Education Research

Spurlock, Darrell Jr. PhD, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF

Dr. Spurlock is Associate Professor and Scholarship Director, School of Nursing, and Director, Leadership Center for Nursing Education Research, Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania.

The author has disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

Address correspondence to Darrell R. Spurlock, Jr., PhD, RN, NEA-BC, ANEF, Associate Professor and Scholarship Director, School of Nursing, and Director, Leadership Center for Nursing Education Research, Widener University, One University Place, Chester, PA 19013; e-mail: [email protected].

Journal of Nursing Education 56(11):p 645-647, November 01, 2017. | DOI: 10.3928/01484834-20171020-02

Like many other fields and subfields within the social sciences, education, and medicine, nursing education research has a long history of giving p-values associated with common statistical tests a position of primary importance in interpreting study findings. Global, transdisciplinary efforts are underway to diminish the role p-values play in making judgements about the significance of study findings by changing the threshold p-value used to pronounce statistical significance, through the use of Bayesian statistics, and through efforts to report effect sizes alongside p-values. In this month's Methodology Corner installment, the focus is on effect sizes and their role in enhancing the value and utility of nursing education research studies. [J Nurs Educ. 2017;56(11):645–647.]