In Search of OZ: Effect Size Reporting and Interpretation in Communication Research.

Reporting and interpreting (corrected) effect size indices can help readers of scientific reports understand the importance of those results more fully instead of just determining the likelihood of results assuming the null hypothesis. This study explored the frequency of effect reporting and interpretation in quantitative studies in Communication Education, the flagship instructional communication journal of the National Communication Association. More than half of the 14 studies identified as using statistical analysis (57%) reported effect sizes, and the majority of these (88%) interpreted these effects. The paper discusses the implications of effect reporting and interpretation and present some examples of effect interpretation. (Contains 26 references.) (Author/SLD)