Pearson Educational Research Mills and Gay Final Exam
Which of the following is an example of a ratio variable?
Weight
When reading a study, what are the best indicators of what type of basic mixed methods design was employed?
The sequence and weight of the data collection
Simultaneous replication involves testing:
a number of participants with the same problem at the same location and same time.
The main method of data collection in narrative research is:
Interviews
A good restory should:
present the events in chronological order.
One difference in research plans between qualitative and quantitative research is that:
qualitative researchers do not start with specific hypotheses.
A code book is necessary because it:
serves as the key for the numerical values assigned to each categorical variable.
In qualitative research, a problem statement:
sets the stage for everything that follows in the research plan.
One major difficulty in conducting a longitudinal study is:
tracking participants over a long period of time.
Hypothesis testing can best be defined as:
the process of decision making in which researchers evaluate the results of a study against their original expectations.
Of the following research topics, the one best suited for case-study research methods is:
the process of selecting a principal in South High School.
What type of survey study is effective for providing a snapshot of the current behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs in a population?
Cross-sectional survey study
After a researcher determines the adequacy of a single-subject study design, the next step in the data analysis process would be to:
assess treatment effectiveness.
In experimental research, the researcher manipulates:
at least one independent variable.
One important aspect of implementing a mixed methods study that is often overlooked by the novice researcher is:
feasibility.
Data analysis is focused on summarizing the data while data interpretation is focused on:
finding meaning in the data.
The research problem provides:
focus and structure.
Ariel is conducting a literature search on policy as related to food choices in urban high schools. The best search terms for Ariel to use for an electronic database search are:
food policy and high school.
Experimental research may offer _____________, or the idea that the findings may be applied to other similar settings and contexts.
generalizability
The second step in the narrative research process is to:
identify an individual who can help you explore the phenomenon of interest.
An initial step in acquiring the needed cooperation of a school partner is to:
identify and follow required procedures for gaining approval to conduct the study in the chosen site.
One of the first steps in the literature review process is to:
identify and make a list of keywords to guide your literature search.
An important component of the literature review in a qualitative study is to:
identify any gaps in the professional literature.
What is the primary way that narrative researchers gather field texts?
Conducting Interviews
Narrative research is often constructed around the question:
"And then what happened?"
What is a disadvantage that is unique to mixed methods research?
Mixed methods research can require extensive resources and effort.
To establish equivalent groups, a researcher should rely on:
Random assignment
A qualitative interview protocol would likely contain the following questions EXCEPT:
A leading question
If the researcher does not explicitly state that a mixed methods design was used, how could this be determined?
By looking at the research questions
Once the data are collected, how does the research process in action research differ from the process of other types of research?
By the development of an action plan
A(n) _________________ yields multiple scores to facilitate identification of a student's weak and strong areas within the subject area.
Diagnostic Test
Which of the following evaluation criteria is NOT likely important in a survey study?
Did the researcher control for threats to internal validity?
Which of the following is a qualitative approach to research?
Ethnographic Research
Assume that a high IQ and a high GPA were perfectly correlated. What correlation coefficient would represent this scenario?
1.00
If a researcher interested in the relationship between time spent studying and test scores determined a correlation coefficient of .5, which was also statisticallysignificant, how much of the common variance is shared between these variables?
25%
A study that investigates the effects of two different types of therapy for anxiety by gender would be symbolized as a:
2x2 factorial design.
Greg is testing a new science curriculum in his high school. He has 150 students try the new problem-based learning tasks and 150 students use the usual curriculum. All students complete a pretest and posttest about science concepts. What is the sample in this study?
300 high school students
Mu-Ping found a correlation of .70 between achievement and motivation in her study of fourth-grade history students. What is the coefficient of determination inMu-Ping's study?
49%
In single-subject design, multiple measures of pretest performance are known as:
Baseline measures
The decision about whether one type of data will be primary and one will be secondary determines the:
Basic Design
One important variable when considering the credibility of qualitative research is to what extent the researcher's ________ affected the study.
Biases
One important key to any study, regardless of method, is sampling. In a mixed methods study, which methodological sampling techniques should be adhered to?
Both quantitative and qualitative techniques
Why should a qualitative researcher have an ethical perspective with regard to their research that closely aligns with their personal ethical position?
By conducting research from an ethical perspective that aligns closely with your personal ethical position, you are more likely to avoid ethically awkward situations.
What is the major difference between case study research and ethnographic research?
Case study research does not focus on cultural interpretation.
A __________________ model continues to extend the case study analysis and to assist the case study researcher to identify how things go together.
Casual
Case study methodology is a good choice for researchers interested in providing _____________ explanations.
Casual
Which of the following statistical tests would be used to test whether there is a difference in participation in school sports (those who participate and those who do not) for boys and girls?
Chi square
Narrative research is concerned with the ________________ of individuals' experiences.
Chronology
Which of the following is a digital tool that will help with creating citations?
Citation Machine
Of the following considerations, which is the most important to the evaluation of a mixed methods study?
Clearly identifying both the qualitative and quantitative data collection
This type of replication involves the development of a treatment package, composed of two or more interventions that have been found to be effective individually, designed for persons with complex behavior disorders.
Clinical Replication
The primary criterion of treatment effectiveness in a single-subject design is:
Clinical Significance
Assigning a label to categorize a unit of text is known as:
Coding
Assigning a value of 1 for female and 2 for male into a spreadsheet is known as:
Coding
A(n) _________________ measures intellectual processes, such as thinking, memorizing, problem solving, analyzing, reasoning, and applying information.
Cognitive Test
In a prediction study of the relation between age and cognitive development, the criterion variable would be:
Cognitive development
A survey that tracks the responses of a new sample of the original population of respondents for several years is known as a:
Cohort study
After obtaining IRB approval, negotiating entry to the research site, and identifying participants, ethnographic researchers may begin:
Collecting Data
What is one of the best ways for a qualitative researcher to develop an understanding of the sociocultural context of the research site?
Conduct informal pre-proposal fieldwork.
Of the following research goals, the one that most likely uses mixed-methods research involves:
Conducting interviews with participants after completing an instrument to assess instructional approaches to explain the results.
Which of the following is important for protecting research informants from stress, embarrassment, or unwanted publicity as well as for protecting participants should they reveal something to a researcher that could be used against them by others interested in the outcomes of research?
Confidentiality
Which of the following does NOT describe the criteria to use when evaluating a research report?
Consider only the methods that the researcher used.
Of the following, the most important form of validity is:
Construct Validity
The goal of ethnographic research is to describe, analyze, and interpret the __________________ of a group.
Culture
The pieces of information you collect and use to examine your problem, hypotheses, or observations are known as:
Data
Once data collection is complete, ethnographic researchers engage in:
Data analysis
A good description of the nature of qualitative data interpretation is that:
Data interpretation is personal and individual
In the practical action research approach, teachers are viewed as:
Decision-makers
Which of the following is an example of avoiding the use of impersonal terms in reporting research?
Describing individuals as "participants" instead of as "subjects"
The most important step in the case study research process is:
Determine the research question
One of the most common problems when beginning researchers conduct correlation research is:
Determining the proper correlation method
One of the most common mistakes of new case study researchers includes:
Determining the sample size.
If a researcher is interested in using continuous predictor variables in order to predict categorical variables, she would use:
Discriminant Function Analysis
Mr. McMillan conducted a survey with a group of his alternative high school students focused on their opinions on the value of alternative high school. Ten years later, Mr. McMillan is interested in investigating whether or not the views of this group have changed. What type of longitudinal survey study is Mr. McMillan likely to conduct?
Follow-up survey study
Manny is interested in investigating differences in spatial skills between middle school girls and boys enrolled in his computer graphics class. He spends time reviewing the relevant research in this area. What would be the next step in the scientific method?
Forming a hypothesis
Which of the following would be the best-case scenario for setting up an initial meeting of participants?
Have someone who is known by the participants introduce you.
In correlational research, it is imperative that the variables have __________ validity.
High
When designing an action research study, the teacher-researcher should ensure that the area of focus is:
Important to the researcher
Where is the researcher most likely to discuss limitations in the quantitative research plan?
In the methods section along with a discussion of participants, measurement, design, and procedures
Narrative research focuses on the experiences of :
Individuals
Sally is an ethnographic researcher who is studying issues related to homelessness. Which of the following participants will best fit her research?
Individuals at one soup kitchen, including the clients, servers, and directors
Confirming and documenting that participants engage in research under their own free will is known as obtaining:
Informed Consent
Data analysis in qualitative research begins with the ______________ contact with participants.
Initial
One major advantage of the R software is that it:
Is open source
Which of the following questions should be considered in a causal-comparative study?
Is the grouping variable clearly defined or described?
Which of the following is an appropriate criterion to use when evaluating the methods of a research report?
Is the size of the sample noted and does it meet guidelines for its method?
Which of the following is NOT one of the purposes of action research?
It provides a description of how the public really feels
Describe the function of the following line of R code: dataset <- read.table("/Desktop/file.txt", header = TRUE)
It would create an object called "dataset" made up of the data found in the file called file.txt stored on the desktop.
Jo began her qualitative interview intent on understanding student's mental health in schools by asking the following question: "Tell me about your most mentally unhealthy day in school." What problem has Jo created?
Jo has asked a question that is too personal too soon.
Causal-comparative and correlational studies are similar in that both:
Lack manipulation of variables
Narrow or restricted score ranges _____________ correlation coefficients.
Lower
The goal of data interpretation in qualitative research is to:
Make sense and find meaning in the data
Matt has conducted quantitative survey research on students with emotional behavior disorders. He was interested in understanding the opinions of students with emotional behavior disorders in regards to inclusion settings. Matt's findings indicate that students with EBD often feel excluded in the general education setting. Matt would like to continue his study and better understand the results of his survey. How could he adapt his study into a mixed methods study?
Matt could conduct interviews with several students with emotional behavior disorders.
What process occurs after data collection and includes quantifying or scoring performance on an assessment instrument?
Measurement
The point at which half of the scores appear above it and half appear below it is the:
Median
Kelly restoried one teacher's story in her study about high-stakes testing. After writing a draft of the restory, she shared it with the teacher. What validation strategy does this illustrate?
Member Checking
A discussion of validity and reliability should appear in the:
Method section of the research report
The various approaches to exploring particular phenomena are referred to as:
Methodologies
In what section should a researcher discuss the research design in a quantitative research plan?
Methods section
Which of the following scenarios would best be suited for an action research approach?
Michael is concerned about how homework is negatively impacting the amount of time on task he gets from students in class. He would like to explore the idea that he is asking too much.
Byron is interested in better understanding the use of behavior charts in elementary classrooms. He decided to conduct a literature review. He put the term classroom management into an academic database and wrote his literature review using the first 10 results. Was this a good strategy? Why, or why not?
No. Byron should better define his search terms to fit his research problem.
Would the following question be suitable for a mixed methods study: "How does an open book testing approach impact student scores on the end of course test?"
No. This study seems best suited for quantitative methods.
On what type of scale are variables such as gender, ethnicity, or political affiliation measured?
Nominal
Michelle is interested in the professional development of engineering majors. She selects a sample of engineering majors who were seniors in 2015 and then surveys those same individuals every two years. What type of survey is she using?
Panel Study
A researcher who is a genuine participant in the activity under study is called a:
Participant Observer
When displaying data using percentages, one excellent choice for graphic display is the:
Pie chart
Marco hypothesizes that preschool attendance leads to aggressive behavior in kindergarten. The results of his causal-comparative study show that children who attended preschool are more aggressive in kindergarten than children who did not. He rules out reversed causality—obviously, being aggressive in kindergarten could not cause preschool attendance—and concludes:
Preschool attendance and aggressive behavior are related, but the cause-effect relation is not clear.
If a researcher was serving as a teacher's aide in the setting in which she is observing but had the ability to pull away from the setting and become an observer during times of instruction, this researcher would best be described as a(n):
Privileged, active observer.
As results of a single-subject study are replicated, we can have more confidence in the appropriateness of the study _______________.
Procedures
The most common form of sampling in case study research is:
Purposeful Sampling
What is a primary difference between interpretation in qualitative research and interpretation in quantitative research?
Qualitative researchers can emphasize their personal experience and reflections.
Regarding the literature review, one difference between qualitative and quantitative research is that:
Qualitative researchers often review the literature after the topic has emerged over time.
Stephanie is planning her procedures for her causal-comparative study to identify a possible cause for why some third graders are overweight and others are not. Which of the following control procedure will she NOT use?
Randomly assigning participants to groups
Statistical testing is ______________ used in single-subject research.
Rarely
What does the researcher do when reading and memoing?
Read all the collected data and note initial impressions.
When conducting an independent samples t test in SPSS, what should you do when the Levene's test probability value is greater than .05?
Read the results on the row for equal variance assumed
Which of the following is the best example of a construct?
Reading ability
If an ethnographer was interested in doing research from an objective position on understanding the work life of rural Appalachians, what type of ethnographical approach would likely be the best?
Realist Ethnography
Which of the following is the first step in the scientific method?
Recognize and select a question
In her observations at the Charter School in a local parish, Ms. LeBlanc records her initial impressions, makes mental notes, and draws pictures of the classroom interactions. This process is known as:
Recording Field Notes
Action research is intended to help teachers develop in their ability to:
Reflect on their own practice
Jack reported a correlation of r = .08 between interest in reading and academic self-confidence. This correlation indicates that interest in reading and academicself-confidence are:
Relatively unrelated
________________ is the repetition of a study or new test of its hypothesis.
Replication
Which of the following is likely followed by field-testing?
Research and Development
What is the first step in applying the scientific method?
Selecting and defining a research problem
Defining a research problem is important to research you conduct because:
Research problems reduce a study to a manageable size.
The ______________ is central as the integrator and interpreter of data in qualitative research.
Researcher
Which of the following rules would you NOT expect to find in a style manual?
Rules for the total length of a manuscript
While there are many issues facing action researchers, which issue is generally regarded as the most complex?
Safeguarding the rights and freedoms of students in the classroom.
The expected variation among sample means drawn from the same population is:
Sampling Error
Also used in quantitative research, this tool helps researchers visualize data based on themes of interest that appear related.
Scatterplot
If the data for at least one variable are expressed as rank or ordinal data, the appropriate correlation coefficient to use is most commonly:
Spearman's rho.
Which of the following terms best describes the process of designing and conducting an action research study?
Spiral
If you draw repeated samples from the same population, the mean of the samples will vary. What is the most common term for the standard deviation of these samplemeans?
Standard error of the mean
The procedure most aligned with a researcher using quantitative methods involves:
Studying a large number of participants as a detached, objective observer
Data analysis in qualitative research involves ________________ the data.
Summarizing
Descriptive statistics serve the function of:
Summarizing the Data
All of the following are data collection methods typically used by the ethnographic researcher EXCEPT:
Surveys
One key characteristic of action research conducted by teachers, principals, and other school personnel is that the research process is:
Systematic
A researcher reports a single-subject study that found a 10% decrease in off-task behavior for Adam. Another researcher reads this study and replicates it with a different student with a behavior disorder. What type of a study is this?
Systematic Replication
Tyler randomly assigns students into one of two reading programs and wants to compare the two groups on their test scores at the conclusion of the program. What type of t test is appropriate?
T-test for independent samples
The process of organizing data systematically is known as:
Tabulation
Which of the following situations best illustrates action research?
Teachers collecting data in classrooms and implementing strategies
Which of the following is an example of a null hypothesis?
Teachers receiving holistic stress reduction training will have similar stress scores following training as those not receiving such training.
This supplemental source of test information is a comprehensive bibliography of all known commercially available tests that are currently in print.
Tests in Print (TIP)
Of the following, which is LEAST likely to be selected as a case?
The American school system
How do you access the ERIC database?
The ERIC database is available at almost every academic library or via its website.
What issue is present concerning the following field note: 9:05- The student of interest is disruptive.
The field note is not detailed enough.
Despite using accepted procedures, Emily ended up with a response rate of 40% for her survey study of low-income families. What concern will she raise when interpreting the results?
The generalizability of results
Which of the following scenarios would likely not require a researcher to obtain written consent?
The guidance counselor at a school has particular interest in supporting a student and wishes to review the student's academic transcript.
Laura is a ninth-grade teacher planning an action research study about the problem of teaching English grammar effectively in her classroom. At what level might she conduct the study?
The individual teacher level to develop a solution for her classroom
Todd is interested in determining how innovation in school scheduling impacts the professionals who work in the school. He selects a sample of five teachers to conduct case study research. What is the major issue with Todd's design?
The major issue is the roles of the participants in the sample.
Which characteristic distinguishes causal-comparative research from experimental research?
The manipulation of the conditions
Where along a normal curve would one find the most frequently occurring score?
The mean score located at the middle of the curve
Which of the following is NOT a typical level for action research?
The national level
Jordan needs a research problem for her thesis. She goes to the library and goes through all of the journals searching for ideas. Evaluate Jordan's strategy for finding a research problem.
The strategy will likely not work well because the amount of material in the library will be overwhelming at this stage in her research.
What characteristic distinguishes a longitudinal study from other types of survey research?
The survey is administered at two or more points in time.
Sam has pretest and posttest data for students in a seventh grade science program and wants to know if the scores improved. What type of t test is appropriate?
The t test for non-independent samples
Relationship and prediction studies differ with regard to:
The timing of data collection
What is one key place to look to determine if a study is in fact a mixed methods study?
The title
Which of the following is the best example of a hypothesis with an operationally defined variable?
There is no difference in second-language proficiency, as determine by those reaching CEFR B1 level, between the two instructional approaches.
Which of the following represents an appropriate use of numbers in a research report that follows the major convention?
There were 82 subjects in the study.
Teachers who become action researchers typically engage in action research because:
They want to engage in action research.
The purpose of mixed methods research is to:
Understand a phenomenon more fully than is possible using either quantitative or qualitative designs alone.
Which of the following is NOT a good choice for graphing data?
Word
In the prediction equation Y = a + bX, the b refers to:
a coefficient that indicates the contribution of the predictor variable to the criterion variable.
In relation to hypothesis testing, alpha, symbolized as α, is:
a criterion to determine whether to reject or fail to reject the null hypothesis.
A research plan is defined as:
a detailed description of a study proposed to investigate a given problem.
Of the following, the best example of assessment is:
a standardized reading test.
A quality literature review is:
a systematic identification, location, and analysis of documents containing information related to the research problem.
Reliability and validity are interrelated. Of the following, the most accurate statement of that interrelation is that:
a valid test is always reliable, but a reliable test is not always valid.
If an ethnographic researcher is also participating in the classroom setting being studied as a paraprofessional, this ethnographer is likely a(n):
active participant observer.
When deciding how many cases to select, the researcher should:
add cases only if it will strengthen understanding.
Consider a study that examines the relationship of intelligence and attitude towards math. Intelligence is:
an abstraction that we cannot directly observe.
A third-party examination of the processes of data collection, analysis, and interpretation is known as:
an external audit.
An important component of good research planning is:
anticipating potential problems and developing solutions.
Ethnographic research offers all of the following EXCEPT:
an exhaustive, absolute description.
Ruth is conducting an experiment to examine the effects of a new method of science instruction with those of the current approach. She should ensure that the twogroups:
are similar on every variable except the independent variable.
Laura has received a copy of her son's standardized math test scores. She was informed that he scored at the 85th percentile, meaning that he scored better than 85% of students who have taken the test. The standardized math test was most likely
a norm-referenced test.
Establishing a pattern or range of student baseline performance is known as:
baseline stability.
When conducting mixed methods research, you should adhere to the basic principles of:
both quantitative and qualitative research.
A researchable problem is one that:
can be studied by collecting and analyzing data.
If a researcher is interested in producing a correlation based on a group of predictor variables and a group of criterion variables, she should consider:
canonical analysis
Reconnaissance involves:
clarifying what is already known about the proposed focus of the study.
In contrast to quantitative research, ethical issues common in qualitative research may occur due to:
closer, more prolonged contact with participants
The final step of the narrative research process before writing the actual narrative is to:
collaborate with the research participant to construct the narrative.
Tamyra is planning a qualitative study of the curricular changes in her school. Her literature review will likely be:
completed later than if she were doing a quantitative study.
In qualitative research, one concern about reliability is whether:
data was collected consistently.
A research plan generally does NOT include information about:
definitive conclusions to be drawn from the data.
Qualitative researchers who believe the literature review should come early in the research process believe that the literature review:
demonstrates the underlying assumptions behind the research questions that are central to the research proposal.
The type of data collected for an action research study is generally:
dependent on the nature of the problem.
In an experimental study, another name for the effect variable is the:
dependent variable.
Case study is an excellent research method for answering ____________________________ questions.
descriptive and exploratory
Cassie records each step completed by the food service staff as they prepare the day's lunch in a middle school cafeteria. She is recording:
descriptive field notes.
One purpose of a correlational study may be to:
determine relations among variables.
Inferential statistics helps researchers:
determine the extent to which they can generalize to a population based on a sample.
Of the following techniques, the most useful for writing a research report is:
developing an outline.
Case study research can also be characterized by the ______________________ the researcher brings to the case study.
disciplinary orientation
A reason to include dissertations reports in meta-analysis studies is that:
dissertation studies tend to show smaller experimental effects and lead to a more accurate estimate of effect.
When considering ethics in qualitative research, perhaps the most important thing to remember is to:
do no harm to participants.
Complete this sentence: Qualitative researchers:
do not delve deeply into their literature until the problem has emerged over time.
The main purpose of including a cover letter with a questionnaire is to:
encourage participants to respond.
The ethnographic method LEAST likely to focus on cultural themes is:
ethnographic case study.
One purpose for correlational research is to:
examine the strength of variables in predicting an outcome.
Of the following, the most desired use of results from an action research study is that the results are:
examined by teachers to modify their practice.
In correlational research, it is imperative that the variables have __________ reliabilities.
high
The final product in narrative research is usually easy to negotiate between researcher and participant due to:
high levels of trust between researcher and participant.
One major pitfalls involved in writing your own assessment is:
inadvertently writing ambiguous questions.
When you find studies that may contradict the majority of your other sources, you should:
include them and attempt to determine a possible explanation.
To say that a case study is descriptive in nature means that the end result of the study:
includes many variables and analyses of their interactions.
When using a causal-comparative design, a researcher should NOT:
infer causation.
A directional hypothesis:
is used when a researcher has theoretical or empirical support for a prediction.
One of the most effective ways of obtaining literature related to your field of study outside of digital resources is to:
join a professional organization.
One purpose of a correlational study may be to:
make predictions.
A researcher is interested in the effect of two types of instruction that they call "whole math" and "drill & practice" on second-grade mathematics achievement. She assigns class 1 to "drill & practice" and class 2 to "whole math." In this design the dependent variable is:
mathematics achievement.
For interval and ratio data, what is the preferred measure of central tendency?
mean
A good research problem is:
narrow and manageable.
A limitation may ___________ a study.
negatively impact
In narrative research, the researcher and the participant ________________ the final text.
negotiate
Ethnographic research offers a representation of a person's life and behavior that belongs to:
neither the researcher's nor the participant's.
A good review of the literature for a frequently studied topic should contain:
only references that are directly related to your specific problem.
In an experiment, an effect size of .01 indicates that:
on average, the experimental and control groups performed about the same.
When developing an outline for the literature review, you should typically:
organize headings related to the research problem.
In autobiographical narrative research, the researcher is also the ____________________.
participant
A good research report will:
permit replication by another researcher.
A relationship study, also referred to as an explanatory correlational study, should NOT be used to:
predict future performance on one variable from another.
In planning a research study, Sherry is questioning whether a particular instrument predicts future performance very well. Thus, she is concerned with the:
predictive validity of the test.
When writing your research report, it is most important to consult:
professional journals pertinent to your field of study.
A review of the relevant literature in a quantitative study serves to:
provide an overview of the research problem.
A primary source is often more valuable to a researcher than a secondary source because it:
provides detailed information about all aspects of a study.
When a case study is described as being heuristic in nature, this means that the study:
provides the researcher with insights into the kinds of relationships that exist between participants.
The local library conducts a summer reading program. This summer it has included a visiting author in the program. There have been some concerns about the cost of the program, especially because both the PTA and the nearby university include a visiting-author program during the academic year. Tyler, the librarian, has decided to collect data from program participants this summer to make a decision about whether to include the visiting-author program again next year. Applying the scientificmethod, the first step Tyler is taking is to:
recognize and define the problem.
An important component of ethnographic research is a researcher that constantly engages in:
reflective practice
It is important that the qualitative researcher:
remain immersed in the data during analysis.
The following strategies are used by ethnographic researchers to help ensure the quality of the gathered data EXCEPT:
remaining removed from participants to ensure objectivity.
Grace has described in great detail the major steps she will follow in conducting her qualitative study, particularly the information on gaining entry to the site and identifying participants. This information is likely found in the:
research procedures section of her plan.
The best indicator of whether or not a study is well-suited for mixed methods research is the:
research question.
A concluding summary of your literature review should:
review the main themes of the literature and its implications.
Obtaining the same results on repeated administration of the same instrument is known as:
test-retest reliability
In the A-B single-subject design, the "B" identifies a:
treatment phase.
It is vitally important to explain your research:
using understandable language.
Amber has completed the analysis of a study of teaching practices. Which of the following techniques might assist her interpretation?
Seeking advice from a colleague
Which of the following is NOT an important consideration when selecting a participant for a single-subject design?
Selecting an individual using random selection
What is a good approach for identifying the variables of interest in a correlational study?
Selecting variables discussed as possibly related in the literature
Which act authorized the creation of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research?
The National Research Act of 1974
Carol conducted a correlational study to examine whether and to what extent sex predicts if a student enrolls in college after high school. What type of correlation should she conduct?
The Phi Coefficient
In a correlational study, correlation coefficients may range from:
-1.00 to 1.00
The first step in ensuring that participants are free from harm is to avoid exposing participants to any:
undue risk.
When conducting a literature review, an outline:
will save you time and effort.
A survey in which data are collected from selected individuals at a single point in time is known as a:
cross-sectional survey.
A well-developed research plan results in:
higher-quality research.
At least two people should independently score some or all the data when:
open-ended items are included.
A researcher wants to study the effects of a new math curriculum on final exam scores and plans to assign certain math classes to try it for one semester while having the other classes use the usual curriculum. This design is best described as a:
quasi-experimental design.
An experimental design that involves the manipulation of only one independent variable is known as a
single-variable design.
Alli takes an assessment designed by her teacher to determine her reading progress throughout the school year. Alli takes the assessment at the beginning of the year, at mid-term, and at the end of the year. Her scores are compared to show progress. What type of assessment approach is this?
Self-referenced scoring approach
Providing a graphical representation of the data helps to understand the ________ of the data.
Shape
Kathy gathered data about participants' levels of self-efficacy. She conducted a hypothesis test to determine whether there is a difference between boys and girls, using a level of significance of .05. When she computed the statistic, she obtained a p value of .04. What conclusion can she draw?
She fails to reject the null hypothesis and concludes there is no difference.
Susie engaged in the following activities last semester. Which of these activities is an example of utilizing the scientific method?
She gathered and analyzed data from teachers in the district to answer a question about their attitudes regarding new high-stakes testing policies.
Which of the following best describes the typical flow of activities involved in quantitative data analysis?
Scoring, tabulating, coding, describing
Reviewing documents about the proposed case study site to determine whether it is an appropriate choice is known as a:
Screening Procedure
Which of the following is an online research and reference management tool?
Endnote
Which of the following would be considered a variable?
Ethnicity
In studying one new after-school reading program, a researcher provides a detailed description of the activities and lessons learned from the program. This study is an example of a(n):
Ethnographic Case Study
The first step in the data analysis process for a single-subject design is to:
Evaluate the adequacy of the design
A school district has implemented a new program to enhance support for teachers in high schools. You need to conduct a study to determine whether the new program is effective and worth the investment. What is the best classification for this type of research?
Evaluation Research
If a principal collaborates with a researcher to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly implemented curriculum, she is taking part in:
Evaluation Research
In which type of study would you most likely find evaluation criteria related to the control of extraneous variables through the selection of specific research designs?
Experimental
In experimental research, the group receiving the new treatment is referred to as the:
Experimental Group
Karen has gathered data for her causal-comparative study comparing self-efficacy scores for male and female seventh-grade students. She analyzes her data using procedures MOST similar to which other design?
Experimental design
When a researcher begins by first collecting quantitative data and then moves to qualitative data while weighting the quantitative data more heavily, this is known as:
Explanatory Sequential
Mr. Carr is concerned that the lunch period is too late in the day and that hunger is impacting his students' ability to focus. He gives a pretest that evaluates how well students can stay on task. He then implements a treatment that includes giving his students snacks during the middle of class. After offering snacks for two weeks, he gives his students a posttest that evaluates how well his students can stay on task. What type of study would this be?
One group pretest-posttest
To say that a case study is particularistic means that it is focused on:
One particular phenomenon
The number of aggressive acts on a playground observed during a school-day recess period is an example of a(n):
Operational Definition
One method for creating field texts is to have participants share their:
Oral Histories
The scale of measurement that involves rank-ordering data, but with unequal intervals between ranks, is known as a(n):
Ordinal Scale
Which of the following is usually the best way to organize a literature review?
Organize the reviewed studies into groups of topics or themes.
Jana is ready to analyze her data systematically. She has collected all the qualitative data in one place and is confident that she can analyze and interpret the data.However, her first concern is that she cannot tell which days she collected which information. Jana has best illustrated a problem in:
Organizing
The results of a quantitative study should include:
Outcomes of the tests of significance
The two overriding rules of ethics are:
Participants should not be harmed in any way and consent should always be obtained from participants.
If a researcher is interested in testing theories about the ways in which groups of variables are related to a given variable she should consider using:
Path analysis
Which of the following is an example of a multiple case study?
Paul wants to learn about literacy practices as they relate to preschool students. He selects three families to study.
The most common technique for calculating a correlation coefficient uses the product moment correlation coefficient, usually referred to as the:
Pearson r
Matt must complete a project for his research class. A challenge he has faced this year is developing appropriate strategies for working with a child with autism in his classroom. He wonders what strategies other middle school teachers have found effective in working with children diagnosed with autism. The source of this research problem is derived from:
Personal Experiences
Ruth is preparing for her first day observing in a classroom for a particular study. Which of the following approaches might help?
Plan a brief initial observation
The following are examples of how a case might be defined EXCEPT:
Point of view
What is one major reason school systems may hesitate to allow a researcher access to their schools?
Poor prior experiences
Meta-analysis was originally introduced by:
Glass, McGaw, and Smith.
What would be the standardized score (z score) for a student who scored at the 50th percentile?
0
The basis of critical action research, as opposed to practical action research, is:
A body of critical theory
Becky has received a copy of her child's standardized math test scores. Even though her child "passed" the exam, the report indicates a weakness in multiplication and division. The standardized math test was most likely:
A criterion referenced test
Which of the following would be included in descriptive field notes in ethnographic research?
A detailed rendering of individuals, the setting, and scenes
Who usually grants approval to conduct research in a school district?
A district level administrator or the school board
Kelly wants to study the effect of writing daily goals on homework completion for a middle school student who has been diagnosed with ADHD. She decides that she will first apply the strategy when he is in math, then in English, and finally in science. What design is Kelly planning to use?
A multiple baseline design
How does a pilot study differ from the planned study?
A pilot study has fewer participants.
Doug studies ecology education. His research team is going into the field to observe the characteristics of a summer ecology education program. Before they go, Doug provides them all with a common framework to use when taking their notes, also known as:
A protocol
Kelly tested her students' achievement in French class. The test had a maximum score of 100. The lowest score was a 45, and the highest score achieved was a 95. We would say that this indicates:
A range of 50
A scale of measurement consisting of equal intervals that does in fact have a true zero point is known as:
A ratio scale
A principal may place some stipulations on participation. Which of the following should not be considered as a possibility by the researcher?
A request that your results are not disseminated without principal approval
Of the following, which is an example of practical action research?
A study of how teachers respond to aggressive behavior on the playground
Which of the following is an example of a mixed methods study?
A study that gathered focus-group interviews and attitude surveys
Which of the following scenarios would be reasonable for case study methodology?
A teacher interested in understanding the effectiveness of an implemented IEP on a student receiving special education services
Which of the following is NOT a likely combination of action researchers?
A team of researchers in multiple schools across multiple states
A good place to look and determine how the researcher combined quantitative and qualitative data in the research study is the:
Abstract
The XYZ test measures fifth-graders' current mathematics proficiency. What type of test is the XYZ test?
Achievement Test
A good research design for a classroom teacher to implement in order to provide a solution to homework completion in a school setting is:
Action Research
A high school principal wants to conduct a study to solve a particular problem with teachers feeling unsupported by administration. What is the best classification for this type of research?
Action Research
A first-year teacher struggling with classroom management is interested in how well students responded to new classroom rules and procedures. He decides to conduct research himself in his own classroom. Which of the following best describes this type of research?
Action Research
Compared to other research methods, of the following, which is generally true of action research?
Action research is conducted by teachers.
Adam has conducted qualitative research that includes conducting focus groups with alternative high school students in order to better understand their sense of school membership. He felt the results of his study were useful, but would like to better understand the issue. How could he continue this study as a mixed methods study?
Adam could do survey work that included a measure of school membership.
Laura is collecting data through interviews and begins to hear the same thoughts and perspectives from all participants. What does this observation indicate?
Additional participants are probably not needed.
Which type of assessment would typically contain a question like: "Which do you prefer, jazz or hip-hop?"
Affective Test
Sharon is interested in the topics that art teachers choose to teach in U.S. middle schools. What would be the population for her study?
All art teachers in the United States
A survey researcher would be most likely to plan to draw conclusions about:
All parents in a community
Why is it important for action researchers to offer participants the opportunity to opt out of a study? Choose the best answer.
Allowing participants the option to opt out helps to maintain a trusting relationship.
Which of the following professional organizations provides ethical guidance for qualitative researchers?
American Anthropological Association (AAA)
Regardless of research method, all research should have the following characteristic:
A thorough, well-planned data collection and analysis process
Which of the following would best be suited for narrative research?
An alternative high school teacher is interested in analyzing his own experiences as a first-year teacher in an alternative school setting.
Marci is studying the strategies teachers use to manage the inclusion of learners with special needs within the general education classroom. While observing aseventh-grade history class, she noted that the teacher employed a cooperative learning strategy that she had not seen before. At the end of class, she asked him about the strategy and how effectively it works. Her questions for the teacher are considered:
An unstructured Interview
___________________ involves the development of a collection of stories and the search for themes to develop general knowledge about the collection of stories.
Analysis of Narrative
Cheryl has the mean math achievement test scores for all fifth-grade students in her school. She would like to find out how scores differ between students who receive special education services, students identified as gifted, and typical students who do not qualify for any special services. What sort of test should she run?
Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
What technique in the analysis of narrative data aims to provide the complexity of a story and add depth and insight about the experiences?
Analyzing Themes
Which of the following terms applies to the situation in which the identities of the participants are unknown to the researcher?
Anominity
Carolyn was engaged in a qualitative research project that involved understanding the schooling experiences of students with emotional and behavioral concerns. Carolyn noticed that every time the teacher used a stern tone of voice, several of the students with emotional and behavioral concerns would disengage from the lesson by placing their heads on their desks. In this example, the teacher's tone was the _________________ and the students placing their heads on their desks was the ________________.
Antecedent - Consequence
Which of the following would best describe the process of applying or testing a theory to determine its usefulness in solving practical problems?
Applied Research
When critiquing a mixed methods study, it is important to determine whether quantitative and qualitative methods were incorporated:
Appropriately
The following are appropriate criteria to use when evaluating the results of a research report EXCEPT?
Are the design and procedures appropriate for the study's purpose?
When planning, a strategy to ensure the content validity of your questionnaire is to:
As several respondents to answer
Which of the following is an example of purposeful qualitative sampling for a study about teachers' experiences with students diagnosed with autism?
Asking teachers of children with autism to suggest other teachers to contact
Rebecca has found a statistically significant correlation coefficient of -.50 between hours spent surfing the Internet and homework completion. What does this mean?
As students' time on the Internet increases, their rate of homework completion tends to decrease.
_____________________ is the reduction in correlation coefficients that tends to occur if the measures have low reliability.
Attenuation
Which of the following is an example of a Type II error?
A lie-detection device for a retail employer that does not flag a future employee for shoplifting, when in fact that person is lying
Karen wants to study motivation and locates the Student Motivation Instrument. As she reads the items on this instrument, she is concerned that they are really measuring self-efficacy more than motivation. This researcher is questioning the:
Construct Validity
What term refers to a researcher's efforts to remove the influence of any variable, other than the independent variable, that may affect performance on the dependentvariable?
Control
If a researcher conducts a study in which quantitative and qualitative data are collected simultaneously and are given equal weight in the study, this is known as:
Convergent Parallel Design
Theresa wants to understand people's perceptions of bullying at a high school. She gathers data with a survey and collects several focus-group interviews and then compares the two sets of results. Which mixed methods design did she use?
Convergent Parallel Design
Which of the following inferential statistics would you be LEAST likely to calculate in a causal-comparative study?
Correlation Coefficient
A researcher wants to examine three different treatment effects to reduce test anxiety among students. Treatment #1 is a deep breathing exercise; treatment #2 is a physical movement activity; and treatment #3 is listening to a recording of nature sounds. All three classrooms receive all three treatments. What type of design is being used?
Counterbalanced Design
Why is it a good idea for action researchers to provide cover letters explaining the research to parents, IRBs, and school administrators?
Cover letters can proactively address the concerns of all stakeholders.
When a researcher takes into account all the complexities in the study and addresses problems that are not easily explained she is working to establish:
Credibility
What type of case study would most likely be titled: "Implications for Classroom Practice from the Case of Cassidy, a 12-Year-Old Girl with ADHD"?
Heuristic
In examining patterns of racial discrimination in a large urban school setting, a researcher suggests that certain racial groups have been marginalized and rallies against these inequities. This study is an example of a(n):
Critical Ethnography
Which form of ethnography represents a highly political approach?
Critical Ethnography
Which of the following could be a threat to the internal validity of an experimental study?
Differences in socioeconomic status
What is the name given to the final research report prepared by graduate students to complete a doctoral program?
Dissertation
Which of the following statements serve as quality advice for conducing qualitative research?
Do not take things personally.
Of the following, the research question best addressed by causal-comparative research is:
Do student smoking rates differ between rural, suburban, and urban high schools?
Of the following, which best illustrates a correlational study?
Does parental involvement predict students' grades?
Which of the following research questions is best addressed by experimental research?
Does peer tutoring lead to better writing performance than online tutorials do?
Which of the following is best studied with a single-subject research design?
Does singing a song at the start of daycare reduce a child's misbehavior when her parent leaves?
One helpful dictation software commonly used by narrative researchers is:
Dragon Dictation
Data analysis in qualitative research occurs:
During and after the data collection
What is the largest digital library of education literature in the world
ERIC
Candy is studying bullying, and she searches ERIC to find past research. Why is this a good choice?
ERIC is an online database focused on education.
This nonprofit organization is focused on providing educators with information about testing programs and their impact on policy decisions related to student achievement.
ERS
Which of the following factors is most important in selecting a test?
Ease of use
The key feature of meta-analysis is that the results from each study are translated into a(n):
Effect size
A school district conducts a parent survey and finds overwhelming dissatisfaction with the item addressing parent-teacher communication. Since the survey showed only percentages of responses on a 5-point scale, the district contracts with a research organization to conduct follow-up focus groups to identify the source of the problem. What type of mixed methods design does this most closely resemble?
Explanatory sequential design
When a researcher begins by first collecting qualitative data and then moves to quantitative data while weighting the qualitative data more heavily, this is known as:
Exploratory Sequential Design
Which mixed methods design is based on the rationale that the study needs to begin with a researcher first studying a topic qualitatively before knowing what can bemeasured?
Exploratory sequential design
One major drawback of single-subject designs is that they suffer from low ______________.
External Validity
When designing a study, Peggy wants to ensure that her results can be generalized to other settings. What type of validity is she concerned with?
External Validity
Which of the following describes a homogenous sample for a qualitative study about adolescents' experiences with quitting smoking?
Female high school juniors who all smoke three to five cigarettes per day and express a desire to quit in the near future
In ethnographic research, data are collected through:
Field work
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of critical action research?
Finding Fault
A potential graphical representation of frequencies is a:
Frequency Polygon
When meeting participants it is important to be:
Friendly
One of the major benefits to having an outside reviewer who is not directly involved in your work is that she/he can often find:
Gaps in your logic
Of the following, which best describes data collection in a case study?
Gathering multiple forms of data
To structure items in a questionnaire in the best possible way, a researcher should begin with:
General Questions
__________________ is promoted when replication includes other participants who share the same problem, matched closely on relevant variables.
Generalizability
Gaining approval to conduct research can be complex. What is one important key to gaining cooperation from a school system?
Good planning
Grace conducts a single-subject study of a behavioral intervention. How is she most likely to analyze the results?
Graphical Analysis
You administered a 15-item online questionnaire that contains Likert items regarding perceptions of teaching quality. What is the most meaningful way to report theresults?
Group items into clusters that address the same aspect of teaching quality and report the mean for each aspect.
For her qualitative study, Carol wants to use criterion sampling to select participants for her qualitative study about high-achieving students' decision process for selecting a college. Which of the following participants will she likely use?
High school seniors who scored at least 1400 on the SAT
Jeff is conducting a literature review to prepare for a qualitative research study on student motivation and grades. Which of the following functions are most important for his literature review?
His literature review will help to refine research questions and develop the guiding hypotheses.
Consider the research question, "Are there differences in apparent fatigue in third-grade learners who are either given homework or not given homework?" What is the independent variable?
Homework status
Of the following, which is likely the best research question for an action research study?
How can we support low-SES students in our classrooms to help keep them in school?
Practical action research represents a _________ approach to the process of action research.
How-to
Which of the following would you NOT expect to find in a fully developed qualitative research plan?
Hypotheses statements
It is important that narrative researchers obtain:
IRB Approval
Of the following, the earliest step in identifying and narrowing a research problem is:
Identifying a subject area of interest to you.
In educational research, this term refers to a tool used to collect data.
Instrument
Charles is conducting a qualitative study to understand the role of emotions when learning. To sample, he sorts his population into two types of individuals—those who are extremely happy and those who are extremely sad—and selects from the groups. He is using:
Intensity Sampling
All incoming graduate students are asked to answer a series of questions about their liking for particular activities. Given a list of activities (such as whitewater rafting or reading a book), the respondent checks off "like," "dislike," or "indifferent." What type of affective test is this?
Interest Inventory
Of the following, the reliability estimate that requires only a single administration of a test is:
Internal Consistency Reliability
Kaitlyn conducted a single-subject study where she considered the impact of a reward system on the prosocial behaviors of one of her students. She found that the intervention was statistically significant and increased the number of occurrences of prosocial behaviors by 4%. What conclusion might Kaitlyn make?
Kaitlyn may conclude that while the intervention yielded statistical significance, the practical implications may not be very helpful.
One method used by narrative researchers to engage the participants in writing about their lived experiences and to engage the narrative researcher and participant in a dialogue is:
Letter Writing
Alice is a new teacher interested in receiving feedback about her students' attitudes toward working in groups in class. She has an assessment instrument that requires students to select a position from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree for several statements about working in groups. This instrument is an example of:
Likert Scale
When considering the relation between data collection and analysis in qualitative research, which of the following terms does NOT apply?
Linear
Becky asks the teachers at her school to identify their favorite snack for inservice workshops from a list of ten choices. The most popular response was "cheese andcrackers." What statistic did Becky report?
Mode
Which of the following scenarios would be appropriate for action research?
Mr. McMillan is interested in understanding how his usage of a science study support software influences his students' test scores on the end-of-unit test.
Which of the following would you expect to distinguish the report of a multiple case study from the report of an intrinsic case study?
Multiple description passages, each describing a case
In Peggy's correlational study, students' GPAs in their freshman year of college are predicted from their ACT scores and high school GPA. What type of analysis should she conduct?
Multiple regression
_______________________ involves describing the development of a narrative or story that focuses on particular knowledge about how or why an outcome occurred.
Narrative Analysis
One of the most distinctive features of an ethnographic study is that it is carried out in a ____________ setting.
Natural
What does the amount of literature available on a topic indicate about the importance of the topic?
Nothing.
Jose is studying high school students' use of cell phones outside of school. He volunteers as a chaperone and rides the school bus to and from school each day for a semester and records how he sees students using their cell phones. What type of qualitative data is this?
Observation
If a researcher were interested in understanding male-pattern baldness, the larger group of males from which the research selected her group for studying would be referred to as the:
Population
A study characterized by individual teachers' decision-making authority, commitments to continued professional development, and systematic reflection on their practice is known as:
Practical Action Research
Action research is intended to solve:
Practical Issues
The variable used to predict is known as the:
Predictor
Jack wants to study the relationship between level of homesickness and depression for freshman college students. He tells his advisor that he will be able to gather data from 75 students. What is the likely reaction of his advisor?
She is pleased that Jack's sample will have more than the minimum number.
Jaafar wants to study the issue of homelessness by telling the story of one adolescent whose family is homeless. She tells her advisor that she will gather data from this one student for her narrative research study. What is the likely reaction of her advisor?
She is satisfied that Jaafar will have sufficient participants
Jamie is conducting an ethnographic study of graduate students in a leadership program. Which of the following is the best example of how she might be reflective?
She reflects on how she affected the group
Carol is studying school safety using mixed methods. She describes her study using the following notation: QUAN → qual. Which of the following best describes her data collection?
She will weight the quantitative data more heavily.
Journal articles are typically ______________ than dissertations.
Shorter
In prediction studies, the tendency for the prediction to be less accurate for a group other than the one on which it was originally developed is known as:
Shrinkage
Which level is most appropriate for this scenario: The history department at SAGE Academy is interested in exploring whether or not an online learning program increases student on-task behaviors.
Single school or department level
Which type of research would best be suited for studying the effects of a behavioral intervention on a few participants?
Single-subject research
When analyzing data from a multiple case study of a reading program, the researcher might need to see differences between high, medium, and low performing sites. What technique would be most useful?
Site-ordered descriptive matrix
Sandy is interested in finding out whether parents' habits of self-regulation at work correlate with their children's habits of self-regulation at school. She has parents and children take a five-item Likert scale survey, which ranges from 1 (not at all like me) to 5 (a lot like me). A sample item is: "When friends are nearby, I can still pay attention to my work." What does it mean if the correlation coefficient is .40, p < .05?
Sixteen percent of the variance in scores is commonly shared by parents and children.
As the sample size increases, the value needed to reach statistical significance becomes ___________.
Smaller
The main goal of action research is to give teachers a tool for:
Solving everyday problems in schools
Which of the following is NOT an example of a validation strategy used to ensure the credibility of qualitative research findings?
Standardized Procedures
Of the following, which is the BEST research hypothesis?
Students taught in a co-operative group setting have higher achievement test scores than do students taught in a traditional class.
Which of the following is the best source of information about a test?
The Mental Measurements Yearbook
In regards to action research, what piece of legislation was designed to protect the privacy of students' educational records?
The National Research Act of 1974
What does it mean for baseline data to be stable?
The baseline measures fall within a consistent range.
Joe has found a theoretical framework around which his qualitative study could be framed. He is writing his research plan. His discussion of this framework is likely found in:
The introduction section of his plan
Sonya has designed an intervention to promote perspective-taking and empathy among fifth-grade students. She gave her control and treatment groups a pretest at the beginning of the fifth-grade year. The control group went through a four-month module about understanding the feelings and thoughts of others. The posttest was administered about two months after the end of the treatment. Which of the following is the likeliest threat to internal validity?
The maturation of the students between the pretest and the posttest
Becky is using a single-subject design to test the effect of background music on the number of completed repetitions for a student undergoing daily rehabilitation to improve the ability to walk. Which of the following strategies will most likely enhance the internal validity of the study?
The need for a reliable measure of completed repetitions
When writing the narrative, it is most important to collaborate with:
The participant
Which of the following is the best example of a good educational research problem?
The problem to be investigated is whether students involved in the peer-tutoring program demonstrate increased math skills.
Which of the following is an example of a causal-comparative study?
The purpose of a study is to identify the differences between gifted students and non-gifted students in the quality of their social networks.
Which of the following best characterizes sampling in an exploratory sequential design?
The quantitative sample involves different participants than does the qualitative sample.
Which of the following defines the weight given to phases of data collection in a mixed methods study?
The relative importance of the quantitative and qualitative data
Which of the following characteristics does NOT fit a single-subject research design?
The researcher uses random assignment.
Which of the following would lead a researcher to choose a narrative design?
The researcher wants to study individuals' stories.
Consider the following study title. What clues are present to suggest that the study may use mixed methods research? "Understanding Alternative High Schools: A Convergent Parallel Study Using Surveys and Interviews"
The title mentions a convergent parallel design.
Why doesn't action research usually occur across multiple school sites?
The unique characteristics of each school would make this difficult.
Similar codes aggregated together to form a major idea in the database are called:
Themes
In observing a classroom for case study research, a sociologist may pay close attention to the social interactions of students while an anthropologist may observe and define the role of culture in the classroom. Determining through which lens you will approach your case study research means determining your:
Theoretical Framework
When looking at the scores of girls and boys on measures of enjoyment of creative writing, Ms. Jensen ran a t test to look for statistically significant differences. The girls had higher mean scores than the boys did, and the p value for the test was .32. How should Ms. Jensen interpret this?
There are no significant differences between girls and boys.
Given the research question, "Is there a significant difference in sixth-grade student achievement as measured by classroom tests between learners taught via lecture only and those taught via slides?" a sensible non-directional hypothesis is:
There is a significant difference in student achievement between those taught via lecture only and those taught via slides.
Mr. Walker wants to study the effect of positive reinforcements on the prosocial behaviors of one student who has been identified as being on the autism spectrum. He would like to choose the design that has the highest level of internal validity as well as being the most ethical option for his student. Which design should Mr. Walkerchoose?
The A-B-A-B design
Which of the following is a definition of culture as applied to ethnography?
The attitudes, values, concepts, beliefs, and practices shared by members of a group
A researcher wants to study the effects of goal setting on learning vocabulary in Chinese language class. She is studying the students in one class and uses three pretests and three posttests for each unit where the goal-setting intervention is applied. Which design is she using?
Time-series design
What is the purpose of restorying?
To construct the narrative account in a chronological sequence
An analysis of covariance is used for what purpose?
To control for extraneous variables (ANCOVA)
Which of the following best describes a potential purpose of an ethnographic study?
To describe and interpret the daily life of teachers in an elementary school
Which of the following aims calls for using a survey research design?
To describe the attitudes of teachers in the state
Which of the following best describes the purpose of a single-subject design?
To determine the effect of a treatment on a single individual
Which of the following best describes the purpose of a measure of central tendency?
To provide one score that best describes the typical score among a group of scores
Which of the following best describes the purpose of a case-study design?
To study a bounded system
Travis conducts a study and finds that there is a strong correlation between students with a strong positive self-image and students who score above 1200 on the SAT. He concludes that a strong positive self-image causes students to score above 1200 on the SAT. What basic mistake has Travis made?
Travis has assumed causation.
Dr. Miller is an educational researcher interested in how the attitudes of first-generation college students toward the value of education as a tool for social mobility change over time. What type of longitudinal survey is Dr. Miller likely to utilize?
Trend Survey
Educational research is a process of:
Trial and error
Like other researchers, case study researchers collect data from multiple sources in a process called:
Triangulation
The process of corroborating findings from different individuals, data sources, or collection methods is known as:
Triangulation
Which of the following topics would be best explored with ethnographic research?
Understanding the experiences of alternative high school students recently transitioning from traditional education settings
Lori is doing a causal-comparative study on whether valedictorians from private high schools are more likely to go to Ivy League colleges than are valedictorians from public high schools. She believes that students from private schools have a financial advantage. To control for this variable, she should:
Use analysis of covariance.
To establish the representativeness of the subjects in the experimental and control groups, the researcher should:
Use random selection of participants
Which of the following is an example of simple random sampling?
Using random numbers to select teachers from a list of all elementary teachers in a district
Sandra is conducting a review of the literature investigating a problem area in which little research has been conducted previously. Her review is likely going to be:
Very broad, given the unique nature of the problem and the lack of information on it.
An important consideration in case selection is whether or not the case is ______________.
Viable
Wade obtained all the necessary approvals to begin a qualitative research project in a local school. He had only spoken with the cooperating teacher via e-mail, but was eager to get started so he jumped in as an active participant observer for a full day. What would have been a better approach for Wade to take?
Wade should have eased into the project over the first few days and only stayed for small amounts of time.
Which of the following questions is likely addressed by survey research?
What are the characteristics of today's middle school students?
Which of the following research questions lends itself most clearly to a narrative research method?
What are the defining moments and relationships in a particular teacher's life that made her into the teacher that she is today?
When researchers evaluate the quality of their qualitative data, which of the following is the most important consideration?
What bias may have influenced participants' reports
Which of the following questions would be best addressed with a retrospective causal-comparative design?
What differences exist between students who drop out of high school and those who do not?
Which of the following questions is best studied through a qualitative approach?
What does "well-being" mean to elementary physical education teachers?
Which of the following is representative of a good narrative research question?
What have been Kasey's experiences teaching special education in a rural setting?
Of the following, the research question best tested with a correlational study is:
What is the relationship between study time and achievement?
Which of the following is a good research problem to explore?
Whether or not students in alternative high schools have a greater sense of school membership than students in traditional high schools
Some IRBs do not require IRB approval for action research conducted as part of a university course. What is one common stipulation in these situations?
Whether or not the study will be published or presented at a conference
Which of the followings is a properly constructed test question?
Which of the following is a reptile? A) Frogs B) Turtles C) Fish D) Birds
The final step in the narrative research process is:
Writing the Narrative
Is the following statement accurate? Based on correlational research indicating a strong relationship between high school GPA and college GPA, students with high GPAs in high school are likely to have high college GPAs.
Yes. While correlational research cannot indicate causation, it can be used to predict.
Case study research is unique from many other types of research because it is more ____________ in nature.
concrete
Professor Garcia is developing a new kindergarten curriculum. She approaches a private school and asks them to implement the program in one class for one year. The class is randomly selected, and data are collected from another class to compare. Professor Garcia is conducting:
experimental research
If a researcher is working with a large number of variables and is interested in grouping those variables based on their strength of correlation, she would likely use:
factor analysis
Laura is interested in whether college GPA differs for residential and nonresidential students. An appropriate control variable for her study is:
family income.
When evaluating potential sources for inclusion in your literature review, you should:
favor articles from refereed journals over nonrefereed journals.
The first step in the narrative research process is to:
identify the purpose of the research study.
The first step in a relationship study is to:
identify the variables to be correlated.
An important first step in creating a journal article is:
identifying the journal in which you would like to publish.
When discussing conclusions, it is important that the researcher:
indicates whether or not the research hypothesis was supported.
In educational research, if the researcher perceives physical or psychological danger, he or she should:
inform the school authorities
It is imperative that the narrative researcher does not become a(n):
informant.
An interview can be beneficial because it is a way to:
obtain important data that cannot be acquired from observation alone.
It is important that the mixed methods researcher identifies ________________________ data collection techniques clearly.
quantitative and qualitative
The research report for a mixed methods study should include a:
rationale of why mixed methods were used.
Suzanna is a narrative researcher interested in the lives of newly immigrated high school students and the tension between working to help support the family and staying in school. She has identified the purpose for her study and the phenomenon to explore. Her next step is to:
select individuals from whom to learn.
A strategy for cross-site analysis of a multiple case study that moves the case study researcher from working descriptively and deductively to a more explanatory and interpretative mode is known as the:
site-ordered predictor-outcome matrix.
Dr. Clark is conducting a qualitative study to understand the role of physical education teachers in helping children become more active. To sample, she starts with two teachers she knows and asks them to suggest other physical education teachers who would be good to include in the study. She is using:
snowball sampling.
The expected length of a journal article is:
specified by the journal.
Once a researcher has gained all the necessary approvals and begins spending time at the research site, she/he should begin by:
spending time observing.
The basic procedure of meta-analysis consists of:
statistically determining the composite result of a group of studies.
An extension of path analysis that provides more theoretical validity and more statistical precision in the produced diagram is known as:
structural equation modeling.
Meta-analysis is a helpful technique because it helps to minimize _____________ in the review process.
subjectivity
If a pilot study leads to modification of your research method, it is considered
successful
Debbie's adviser asks her to annotate the sources in her literature review. The adviser is expecting:
summaries with her own analysis.
If several studies included in your literature review report very similar findings you should:
summarize the findings of all three in one summary statement and cite the authors.
An instrument to collect data that describe one or more characteristics of a specific population is known as a:
survey.
Define the purpose and scope of a review of related literature.
systematic identification and analysis of information related to the research problem.
It is advisable that a novice mixed methods researcher:
team with an experienced researcher with a complementing methodological specialty.
Broadly speaking, a(n) __________ is a formal, systematic, paper-and-pencil or online procedure for gathering information about peoples' cognitive, social, behavioral, and affective characteristics.
test
One great place on the Web to find information pertaining to education statistics is:
the National Center for Education Statistics
Qualitative research is characterized by:
the attempt to study things as they exist naturally.
Ethnographic research is best distinguished from other qualitative approaches by its focus on:
the cultural patterns and perspectives of participants.
Of the following research topics, the one best suited for using a realist ethnography is:
the daily culture of a one-room school in a rural Western setting.
Sherry is proposing a sophisticated statistical analysis of the data she is collecting. The explanation of these procedures will be found in:
the data analysis section of a quantitative research plan.
Of the following, the research topic most conducive to narrative research is:
the experience of adolescents trying out for marching band.
The characteristic that binds an action research team is their agreement on:
the identification of a problem.
Kelly's adviser suggested that he start with secondary sources to gain a sense of the existing literature for his research topic. Of the following, the one most likely to be a useful secondary source is:
the journal Review of Educational Research.
The following are measures of variability EXCEPT for:
the mean.
Christy has developed a survey to assess students' attitudes regarding a new Read-in-School program. One question on the survey asks, "Do you read a lot at home?" She gives the survey to a colleague to review, and the colleague recommends she change this item because:
the question as currently written lacks a point of reference.
The specifics of research procedures are dictated by:
the research questions involved in the study.
Compared to being a participant observer, one advantage of being a nonparticipant observer is that:
the researcher is less intrusive than a participant observer would be.
Of the following research topics, the one best suited for ethnographic research methods is:
the socialization of graduate students in one math department.
As sample size increases:
the standard error of the mean decreases.
Action research findings are more likely to be meaningful to a teacher because:
the teacher has identified the area of focus.
If you are a university researcher and part of your study requires obtaining information from individual elementary students' record files, you would need to obtain written permission from:
the university IRB, the school, and the parents or guardians.
One key component described in a well-written quantitative problem statement is:
the variable(s) of interest.
One major advantage of a research plan is that it allows the researcher to:
think through every aspect of the study.
