feedback Sharmin:   Evaluation Question Does... | Psychology

Research Requirement:

Evaluation Question Does participation in the NYAP program lead to a significant reduction in internalizing symptoms from pre-test to post-test among youth participants? 2. Determining the Statistical Test Because my evaluation involves pre-test and post-test scores for the same participants, I will use a within-subjects (repeated measures) statistical approach. Before choosing the final test, I will check whether the difference scores (Post – Pre) meet the assumptions for parametric testing: Normality Assumption Check In Jamovi, I will: Create a new variable representing the difference scores Run the Shapiro-Wilk test Inspect the histogram and Q-Q plot Review skewness and kurtosis values Decision Guideline If the difference scores are normally distributed: I will use a Paired Samples t-test, which compares the mean pre-test score to the mean post-test score. If the normality assumption is violated: I will use the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, which is the appropriate non-parametric alternative. This step ensures that the statistical method aligns with the characteristics of my dataset and provides the most accurate interpretation of change. 3. Checking Dataset Quality (Missing Data & Outliers) Before running the analysis, I reviewed my dataset for issues that could affect results: Missing Data: I confirmed that all participants had both pre-test and post-test values. If any were missing, I would decide whether listwise deletion or imputation was appropriate, but my sample is complete. Outliers: Because the PSC-17 uses small item-level scoring (0–2), extreme outliers are unlikely. However, I will still evaluate boxplots for both variables to confirm there are no unusual total scores. Ensuring a clean dataset strengthens the credibility of the evaluation. 4. Presenting My Results in the Final Report For my Week 6 written assignment, I plan to present results clearly and visually: A paired comparison table showing means, standard deviations, and the test statistic (t-value or Wilcoxon Z). A bar chart or line graph displaying pre-test and post-test average internalizing scores. A brief narrative summarizing whether scores decreased and whether the change was statistically significant.