Which test do you use to solve this problem One-sample or independent samples t-test?

Over the summer I asked my statistics students to report their gender and their level of statistics anxiety. Using a one-tailed test, determine whether females have more statistics anxiety compared to males. Higher numbers indicate higher levels of anxiety.

To determine which test to use in comparing the statistics anxiety levels between females and males, we need to consider whether the data involves a single sample or two independent samples.

In this case, we have two independent samples: females and males. Hence, we need to use an independent samples t-test.

Here is how you can conduct the independent samples t-test using a one-tailed test:

1. Set up the null and alternative hypotheses:
Null hypothesis (H0): There is no difference in statistics anxiety levels between males and females.
Alternative hypothesis (Ha): Females have higher statistics anxiety levels compared to males.

2. Decide on the significance level (alpha), which will determine how much evidence is required to reject the null hypothesis. The common choices are 0.05 (5%) or 0.01 (1%).

3. Collect data from your statistics students, including their gender and statistics anxiety levels.

4. Calculate the means and standard deviations of statistics anxiety levels for both females and males.

5. Use a statistical software or a calculator to perform the independent samples t-test. The software will require the means, standard deviations, sample sizes, and the chosen significance level.

6. Analyze the results. The output from the t-test will provide the t-value and the corresponding p-value.

- If the p-value is less than the chosen significance level (alpha), you can reject the null hypothesis and conclude that females have higher statistics anxiety compared to males.
- If the p-value is greater than the chosen significance level, you fail to reject the null hypothesis, indicating that there is no sufficient evidence to conclude that females have higher statistics anxiety levels.

Remember, using a one-tailed test indicates your specific focus on whether females have higher statistics anxiety levels compared to males.