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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Sorry, realized that link may not be all that helpful. But for example currently looking at a table labeled “logistics regression (odds ratio coefficient) models of disability status….. and I have very little understanding of how to interpret the data. [/quote]

Hi again.  I'm PP with the long answer above.

It helps to know that you're looking at education and social research.

Let me change up my advice a little now that I know you're not looking at hard science or medical research.

I've had Stats 101 3 times in different flavors at good schools (undergrad and grad).  I've never had Stats 102 because people kept telling me their 101 was different/better/deeper.  I got As in all 3 classes.  As it turns out, they were all similar classes.  I have a feeling, given the field you're looking at, you could be fine with only Stats 101 and 102 level knowledge but you'd still see (not practical to fill) gaps in understanding when a researcher busts out particularly fancy techniques. And self-studying 3-6 credits of material is a lot if you just want to be a more confident reader of social science/education research.

I would recommend you shop for a book that really works for the level you are at right now.  Start with the library and get something on the "Dummies" level.  If that's too easy, then shop on Amazon for a second used textbook with reviews that speak to you.

It definitely could take more than one college class to start to understand the specifics of the statistical methods.  So, I would say to focus more on critically analyzing the study itself.  Are the sample sizes large, what factors are being analyzed/accounted for and are there any factors that are left out, what are the names of the statistical tests, etc.  Read the abstract, intro, and conclusion several times before going through the main paper.

Then...google for simple explanations of the terms you are curious about. Start with "regression analysis".  Watch a video about what that means.   Then google "odds ratio" statistics regression.  There are some good examples right away.  (I didn't remember anything about this from my coursework.)  Controversially, you don't need to understand the data table per se, you need to understand what groups are being compared and why did they use the statistical technique more than you need to confirm the statistical strength of the effect they uncovered.  In part that's because in your field, you should most likely be looking for corroborating evidence across multiple studies.

I think you may actually do better backing into an understanding by googling and watching highly-rated videos.  Having a comprehensive printed text with index could still help you because digital search does not give you a sense of progression like a coursebook does (101 material is usually the first half of the book, more complicated 102 stuff is in the 2nd half). E.g., texts start with hypothesis testing of normal distributions and then move into other topics (chi-square, etc.).  Also some people are better at googling than others.

I haven't been through AP Statistics myself but my kid just completed it with reasonable success.  That's why I think you want to teach yourself, that might be better than true college level material because of the target customer.  You want to prioritize comprehension vs. developing the ability to "do" statistics.

https://www.khanacademy.org/math/ap-statistics

https://www.reddit.com/r/APStudents/comments/15l98ob/recommended_textbook_for_selfstudying_ap/

Good luck with furthering your knowledge![/quote]

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