CPCE research practice test

Which level of significance would best rule out chance factors?

.001

A doctoral student who begins working on his bibliography for his thesis would most likely utilize

ERIC, for primary and secondary resources.

Identify the possible mediating variable in a quantitative study exploring the effects of pre-college advising for high school seniors.

Presence of high school counselor

Micro-level theories provide theories that are bounded by time, place, and participant groups.

True

Nondirectional language is encouraged when writing qualitative purposes statements.

True

Order matters when developing mixed methods research questions and hypotheses.

True

Quantitative data collected at one point in time within the survey design is cross-sectional.

True

The deficiencies model of writing an introduction is based on identifying the research problem first.

True

Writing an introduction for a mixed methods study follows the social science deficiencies model.

True

Which word is an example of an exploratory verb to use in developing qualitative research questions?

discover

Demographic variables are often used as ______.

moderating variables

An operational definition

outlines a procedure.

Which theoretical perspective would be most appropriate for studying the experiences of migrant farm workers in the United States?

racialized discourses

What does the symbol R indicate in an experimental design?

random assignment

Which sampling technique is most desirable in quantitative research?

random sample

The median is

the middle score when the data are arranged from highest to lowest.

P = .05 really means that

there is only a 5% chance that the difference between the control group and the experimental groups is due to chance factors.

Which is an example of an expected code in a study exploring low-income students' college choice process?

"available scholarships"

Which shorthand label indicates an embedded design in mixed methods research?

( )

In the social sciences the accepted probability level is usually

.05 or less.

A research abstract should range from ______.

150 to 250 words

What is the optimal number of questions for an interview protocol?

5-10

When conducting a literature review, how many sources should you have during an initial search?

50

You do not have to define terms in a purpose statement if you include a "definition of terms" section in your proposal.

False

A Type II error

a and c.

Which type of validity has become the overriding objective in validity?

construct validity

The Chicago Manual of Style is the most popular style manual used in field of education and psychology.

false

Experiments emphasize parsimony, which means

interpreting the results in the simplest way.

What would be the most appropriate data collection method for a study exploring the experience of postpartum depression?

interviews

No research has been conducted to explore metacognition in students with ADHD. Which broad topic might assist the researcher in locating literature to review related to the proposed study?

students with disabilities

Definition of terms appear in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods proposals to ensure the researcher's precision of meaning.

true

Z-scores (also called standard scores) are the same as standard deviations, thus a z-score of -2.5 means

2.5 SD below the mean.

In World War II the Air Force used stanine scores as a measurement. Stanine scores divide the distribution into nine equal intervals with stanine 1 as the lowest ninth and 9 as the highest ninth. In this system 5 is the mean. Thus a Binet IQ score of 101 would fall in stanine

5

The range is a measure of variance and usually is calculated by determining the difference between the highest and the lowest score. Thus, on a test where the top score was a 93 and the lowest score was a 33 out of 100, the range would be

61.

When developing qualitative research questions, what is a limit for the number of associated sub-questions?

7

There are four basic measurement scales: the nominal, the ordinal, the interval, and the ratio. The nominal scale is strictly a qualitative scale. It is the simplest type of scale. It is used to distinguish logically separated groups. Which of the following illustrates the function of the nominal scale?

A DSM or ICD diagnostic category.

Which function of a research introduction is often underdeveloped in research proposals?

Establish the problem that leads to the study.

A visual diagram of research hypotheses must be included in quantitative reports.

False

Convergent methods are being being used in a study with the following notation: QUAN→qual.

False

Cronbach's alpha values are a measure of validity in quantitative research.

False

Good writing is developing through more scholarly writing than fiction writing.

False

Interviewing participants multiple times, rather than just once, is an example of triangulation in qualitative research.

False

Mixed method intervention design is a more advanced and rigorous mixed methods design.

False

Strong, direct quotations are good choices for a lead sentence to capture reader interest.

False

The effect size describes the level of uncertainty around an observed score.

False

The methodological flaws of prior studies should be addressed in the review of literature, not the introduction.

False

The null hypothesis predicts there is a relationship between the variable and a significant difference between the groups.

False

The significance of a study is measured by its impact in adding to the scholarly research and literature in the field.

False

Validity is established in mixed methods designs through construct validity.

False

Variables are ordered left to right in a quantitative purpose statement, with the dependent variables listed followed by independent variable.

False

Identify the independent variable in a quantitative study studying the effects of a GRE preparation course on GRE scores for Black and Latino male and female students.

GRE preparation course

Identify the dependent variable in a quantitative study studying the effects of a GRE preparation course on GRE scores for Black and Latino male and female students.

GRE score

Which suggestion is useful tip when designing a visual literature map?

Include citations to provide evidence of major concepts.

"Backyard research" involves studying environments and/or participants that are close to the researcher and may result in compromises.

True

"What does 'it depends' mean?" is an example of a probe that can be used in qualitative interviews.

True

A mixed method purpose statement must include a rationale for combining qualitative and quantitative data.

True

A purpose statement appears at the end of the introduction.

True

Case study mixed methods design can use qualitative and quantitative data to generate cases before the study begins or at the end based upon evidence that has been collected.

True

In a mixed methods study, researchers should provide a definition and background for mixed methods approaches.

True

In a qualitative research proposal, it is appropriate to both quantitative and qualitative studies for the review of literature.

True

Which word is an example of a verb to use in developing quantitative research questions?

affect

Logic, flow, and clarity of a manuscript are enhanced by the presence of ______.

attention thoughts

The null hypothesis suggests that there will not be a significant difference between the experimental group which received the IV and the control group which did not. Thus, if the experiment tested whether biofeedback training could reduce anxiety and improve the average score on written board exams. was conducted, the null hypothesis would suggest that

biofeedback will not improve the board exam scores.

The hook-and-eye technique is a way to determine if a written passage lacks ______.

coherence

Which word implies a quantitative approach in a purpose statement?

comparison

A client goes to a string of 14 chemical dependency centers that operate on the 12-step model. When his current therapist suggests a new inpatient program the client responds with, "What for, I already know the 12 steps?" This client is using

deductive logic.

Which type of literature varies the most in quality and should be lower in priority?

dissertations

Which type of literature should be prioritized when you are beginning your study and want to establish a broad synthesis of the literature?

encyclopedias

Which design is focused on exploring the success of a program, policy, or intervention?

evaluation design

Which mixed method design are you using if you conduct focus groups with participants before developing a new survey instrument to administer to a sample of the population?

exploratory sequential

In a new experiment, a counselor educator wants to ferret out the effects of more than one IV. She will use a _______ design.

factorial

A moderating variable does not affect the strength of the relationship between an independent and dependent variable.

false

A purpose statement may include several ideas that need to be explored in the qualitative research study.

false

A strong mixed methods study should contain two research questions: a qualitative question and a quantitative question or hypothesis.

false

Conference papers and proceedings are not appropriate sources of literature for a literature review.

false

Ghost authorship is considered an unethical practice, while gift authorship is not.

false

In qualitative studies, researchers provide research questions and objectives, not hypotheses.

false

It is important to set aside time where you can have a long block of time weekly to write and engage in research.

false

Qualitative computer software, such as MAXqda and ATLAS.ti, analyzes qualitative data producing patterns and themes.

false

Quantitative studies should incorporate a review of the literature at the beginning of the study to provide direction for the research study; whereas qualitative studies should incorporate a review of the literature at the end to compare and contrast with the themes and categories of the study.

false

Researchers should rely on past studies to estimate their proposed sample size.

false

SPSS, Atlas.ti, Stata, and SAS are popular statistical analysis computer programs.

false

Which of the following would most likely yield a perfect correlation of 1.00?

length in inches and length in centimeters.

Regardless of the shape, the _______ will always be the high point when a distribution is displayed graphically.

mode.

For a study exploring how kids engage in play at Montessori elementary school, which would be the most appropriate data collection method?

observation

Which design is most appropriate for a research study focused on understanding the educational barriers for foster care youth?

participatory-social justice design

When summarizing literature, what is the time limit to qualify as "recent literature"?

past 10 years

Which philosophical assumptions are reflected in quantitative research designs?

postpositivist

Which of the following words is NOT synonymous with research purpose?

problem

Which section should appear in the appendix of a qualitative proposal?

proposed budget

The hunch is known as the experimental or alternative hypothesis. The experimental hypothesis suggests that a difference will be evident between the control group and the experimental group (i.e., the group receiving the IV). Thus, if the experiment tested whether biofeedback training could reduce anxiety and improve the average score on written board exams were conducted, the experimental hypothesis would suggest that

the biofeedback would raise board scores.

If a distribution is bimodal, then there is a good chance that

the researcher is working with two distinct populations.

A counselor believes that clients who receive assertiveness training will ask more questions in counseling classes. An experimental group receives assertiveness training while a control group does not. In order to test for significant differences between the groups the counselor should utilize

the student's t test.

Which of the following is a challenge to mixed methods research design?

time-intensive nature of data analysis

What is an alternate name for an independent variable?

treatment variable

A priori theoretical perspectives are used in both qualitative and quantitative studies.

true

Literature reviews are typically shorter for a research proposal, approximately 20-30 pages in length.

true

Marxism is an example of a theoretical perspective that could be used in qualitative research.

true

Qualitative research questions should begin with the words how or what to illustrate an emergent, inductive design.

true

Researchers should establish working on two to three writing projects concurrently as a good writing practice.

true

The review of literature should be integrated into an introduction section in qualitative research reports.

true

When abstracting a study, you should identify the methodological and technical strengths and weaknesses.

true

What is another name for validity in qualitative research?

trustworthiness

The core idea that is advanced in a research proposal is an example of ______.

umbrella thought

Which word implies a qualitative approach in a purpose statement

understand

Which activity is an example of a 'warm-up' period for scholarly writing?

writing a letter to a friend