Teaching Hypothesis Testing . Can it Still be Useful ?

Hypothesis testing have been with us for more than a century, but has recently come under attack as less useful. It is important that statistics is taught in a way that makes students aware of possible misuse of the methods and how to avoid such misuse. Recently, statistics has become a part of the curriculum in secondary schools (16-18) in Norway, and this has not been without controversy. One criticism is the lack of interesting applications of the theory. An example is presented which helps students build their knowledge. Model-based statistics using modern technology may help students avoid many pitfalls in testing hypotheses.