Research Methods and Applications for Student Affairs

Chapter TwelveAssessing Relationships

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Understand the purpose and role of relationship statistics.
• Differentiate between the major types of relationship statistics.
• Read relationship statistics in journal articles and reports.
• Evaluate relationship statistics based on how data are collected, analyzed, and reported.
• Apply interpretations of relationship statistics to student affairs practice.

Relationship statistics evaluate associations between two or more variables. In most cases, the variables are considered associated when a change in one relates to a change in another. Unfortunately, the simplicity of interpreting relational statistics often results in readers ...