Exploring a case study to discover issues relevant to the use and misuse of statistics

The goal of this paper is to give common examples of both proper and inappropriate uses of statistics to novice users of statistical analysis. It begins with an actual case study from education, which uses a variety of typical analyses and representations to summarize an author&s;s results. Each element of the study is then examined to discover the propriety of each statistical result. Readers will discover relevant issues concerning the selection of samples and size, the visual presentation of data and the use of various tests of significance ( t -test, ANOVA, chi-square) to arrive at valid results. Those who use this activity may be better prepared to use statistical analysis in their own research as well as in their consumption of research written by others.