A figure is worth a thousand words: data visualization in second language research Seminar

Abstract:

Visualizing patterns in data is a key element in any analysis. It helps us understand what our data is telling us, what our statistical models should take into account, and how to maximize our efficiency communicating our findings to any audience. Figures can be especially useful when we are dealing with multiple variables that may interact with each other, a situation that is quite common in the field of second and third language acquisition, where multiple grammars are at work. Despite the importance of data analysis in our field, it is still true that we often rely on a dangerously narrow set of statistical tools (Plonsky 2015). In this talk, I will discuss how data visualization can play a central role in expanding those tools. The premise of the talk will be simple: if we can’t visualize what’s happening in our data, there’s a good chance we will fail to properly analyze, understand, and communicate our results.