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NursingDiscussion postBiostatistics

DNP 830 Topic 5 DQ 1: t-test assumptions

The last part of the prompt is a trap worth walking into deliberately. Wanting to see p below .05 is exactly the disposition that produces bad research, and saying so is the strongest answer available.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 15, 2026

01

Assumptions first, then the question about p

Start with the assumptions, because they are checkable and the post needs them. An independent-samples t-test assumes the outcome is continuous, that observations are independent of one another, that the outcome is approximately normally distributed within each group, and that the two groups have roughly equal variances — with Welch's correction available when that last one fails, which in practice it often does. A paired t-test drops the equal-variance assumption and instead requires that the differences be approximately normal. Independence is the assumption people forget and the hardest to repair: patients clustered within wards or clinicians are not independent observations, and no amount of distributional checking fixes it. The equal-variance assumption is worth a second look because it is the one your software tests for you and then quietly overrides: SPSS reports both the pooled and the Welch row, and taking whichever line happens to be significant is a decision you should make before you see them, not after.

Then the third question, which is the one worth thinking about. Do you want to see a p below .05? The honest answer is no — you want to see what is actually there. Wanting a particular result is precisely the disposition that produces selective reporting, the outcome swapped after the fact, the subgroup analysis that was not planned, the test rerun until something crosses the line. A DPI project that finds no effect and reports it clearly is a better contribution than one that finds an effect by looking hard enough. There is also a practical reason to answer this way: your project's value is in the implementation knowledge it produces, and that survives a null result intact. Say all of that plainly. It reads as maturity rather than as evasion, and it distinguishes your post from the several that will answer yes because the question looked rhetorical.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    State the assumptions of independent and paired t-tests correctly.
  • 02
    Identify which assumptions can be corrected for and which cannot.
  • 03
    Recognise clustering as a violation of independence.
  • 04
    Articulate why wanting a particular p value is methodologically corrosive.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

What are the assumptions for a t-test? How should these be run? Do you want to see a p value of <0.05? Why or why not?
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. DNP 830 Topic 5 DQ 1 What are the assumptions for a t-test If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course! Name: Discussion Rubric Grid View List View Excellent 90–100 Good 80–89 Fair 70–79 Poor 0–69 Main Posting: Response to the Discussion question is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. 40 (40%) – 44 (44%) Thoroughly responds to the Discussion question(s). Is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. No less than 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three current credible sources. 35 (35%) – 39 (39%) Responds to most of the Discussion question(s). Is somewhat reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. 50% of the post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible references. 31 (31%) – 34 (34%) Responds to some of the Discussion question(s). One to two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Cited with fewer than two credible references. 0 (0%) – 30 (30%) Does not respond to the Discussion question(s). Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible references. Main Posting: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Written clearly and concisely. Contains no grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Written concisely. May contain one to two grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Written somewhat concisely. May contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. Main Posting: Timely and full participation 9 (9%) – 10 (10%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Posts main Discussion by due date. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post main Discussion by due date. First Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. First Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. First Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Second Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Second Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. Second Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Total Points: 100 Name: Discussion Rubric

02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    The assumptions, distinguished between paired and independent tests.
  2. 02
    How each assumption would be checked in practice.
  3. 03
    A named correction for unequal variances.
  4. 04
    A reasoned answer to the p value question.
03

List them, test them, then answer the p question

01

Assumptions of the independent-samples t-test

State the four assumptions and what each requires of the data.

02

The paired case and how it differs

Set out what changes when observations are paired.

03

Checking and correcting

Describe the checks and the remedies available when an assumption fails.

04

Whether you want p below .05

Take a position on wanting a particular result and justify it.

04

Where the assumptions are stated formally

Recommended databases

  • StatPearls statistics chapters
  • Your SPSS materials
  • PubMed Central
  • OpenStax Introductory Statistics

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Confirm the assumption list for both t-test variants from a citable source.
  2. 2.
    Look up how normality and equal variance are tested in your software.
  3. 3.
    Read one source on selective reporting and outcome switching.
  4. 4.
    Check whether your own data are clustered before claiming independence.
05

Reference shortlist

These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    Hypothesis Testing, P Values, Confidence Intervals, and Significance

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023

    States the testing framework and what a p value reports, which is what the third part of the prompt turns on.

  2. 02

    Comparing the Means of Independent Groups: ANOVA, ANCOVA, MANOVA, and MANCOVA

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf, US National Library of Medicine · 2024

    Extends the comparison-of-means family beyond two groups and sets out the shared distributional assumptions.

  3. 03

    Exploratory Data Analysis: Frequencies, Descriptive Statistics, Histograms, and Boxplots

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023

    Covers the distributional checks that decide whether the normality assumption is tenable.

  4. 04

    Study Bias

    StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023

    Catalogues reporting and selection biases, which is the concrete cost of wanting a particular result.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Listing assumptions without saying how any of them would be checked.
  • Ignoring independence, which clustered clinical data routinely violates.
  • Answering yes to the p question without noticing what it implies.
  • Treating normality of the raw data and of the differences as the same requirement.

Submission checklist

  • Have you separated paired from independent assumptions?
  • Did you say how each would be checked?
  • Is clustering addressed as an independence problem?
  • Does your answer to the p question defend a position?

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