Category: Research Methods
-
When Subscales Stop Being Subscales: A 0.949 Correlation and the DASS-21
DASS-21 validity matters every time a researcher treats the scale’s three subscales as separate outcomes. The DASS-21 is one of the most widely used mental health questionnaires in student research, with separate subscales for depression, anxiety, and stress. In our psychometric study of 602 Pakistani university students, the confirmatory factor analysis fit the data well,…
-
p = .117 Is Not ‘No Difference’: Reading Non-Significant Results Correctly
In a study I worked on, we compared self-medication practice between medical and non-medical students and got p = .117. A surprising number of readers translate that into “there is no difference between the groups.” That translation is wrong, and it is one of the most common errors in reading research. A non-significant p-value means…