The ASA Section on Teaching of Statistics in the Health Sciences (TSHS) is excited to
present our Fall 2021 webinar. Our speaker will be Dr. Philip M. Sedgwick of St. George’s,
University of London, London UK, presenting issues of teaching null hypothesis
significance testing in the health sciences.
The webinar is FREE and open to all. Details and registration information are below.
TITLE: Trials and Tribulations of Teaching NHST in the Health Sciences
PRESENTER: Dr. Philip M. Sedgwick, St. George’s, University of London, London UK
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, November 17, 2021 @ 1pm EST
VENUE: Online webinar hosted using the Zoom platform
ABSTRACT: Null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) with a critical level of
significance of 5% (P<0.05) has become the cornerstone of research in the health
sciences, underpinning decision making. However, considerable debate exists about its
value with claims it is misused and misunderstood. It has been suggested it is because
NHST and P-values are too difficult to teach, and encourage dichotomous thinking in
students. Consequently, as part of statistics reform it has been proposed NHST should no
longer be taught in introductory courses. However, this presentation will consider if the
misuse of NHST principally results from it being taught in a mechanistic way, along with
claims to knowledge in teaching and erosion of good practice. Whilst hypothesis testing
has shortcomings, it is advocated it is an essential component of the undergraduate
curriculum. Students’ understanding can be enhanced by providing philosophical
perspectives to statistics, supplemented by overviews of Fisher’s and Neyman-Pearson’s
theories. This helps the appreciation of the underlying principles of statistics based on
uncertainty and probability, plus the contrast of statistical with contextual
significance. Moreover, students need to appreciate when to use NHST rather than being
taught it as the definitive approach of drawing inferences from data.
REGISTRATION: To register, please complete the form here:
https://umich.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_di1fSbs1ZxzMp5I<https://nam10.sa…
The webinar link will be sent to you in a confirmation email after registering, and a link
to the webinar recording will be sent to you about a week after the session.
--
Heather J. Hoffman, PhD
Professor
Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
Milken Institute School of Public Health
The George Washington University
800 22nd Street, NW (7th Floor)
Washington, DC 20052
Phone: (202) 994-8587
Fax: (202) 912-8475