ABSTRACT

Inferential statistics are used in L2 research to draw conclusions about a population of interest from a sample of that population. This chapter focuses on the basic notions of inferential statistics, including sampling, correlation coefficients, and how researchers can use probability to quantify how likely it is that their conclusions about the population of interest are correct. It is important that researchers are fully aware of and disclose the limitations of their research, so they need to understand the factors that limit the validity of their results. These factors include the way in which samples are selected, sample size, and the strength of the effect.