Re: discourse analysis Then a correlation analysis would be perfect with the data he has. Does A go up as B goes up? Give a simple correlation coefficient and BAM, he's done.
Seems so simple?
Firstly,
All you have said is, are they (forms of language skills) positively correlated?
Of course they are! As my fluency in speech improves, there isn't going to be a corresponding negative decrease in my writing skills.
Secondly, we already know that language skills are positively correlated.
Thirdly, how is he going to compare the two experimental groups? Apart from determining whether a correlation coefficient is greater than zero (that is, a 'real' relationship exists between the variables FOR EACH GROUP individually (foregone conclusion), one cannot determine by a statistical test that the correlation coefficient for group A is statistically different from that of group B. |