ped 405 test 2
In a paragraph, explain the purpose and procedures of a meta-analysis to someone who has never heard of the research technique.
-definitive methodology is reported concerning the decisions in literature analysis. -results of many studies are quantified and to effect size, that allows statistical techniques as a means of analysis.
Which of the following is the most unobtrusive technique for measuring student interest in reading?
Count how often students check out books from the library.
A major weakness of observational research lies in the operational definitions. Which question is an example of an operational definition?
What behaviors characterize a good teacher or good coach?
Consider the following questionnaire item (which uses a yes/no format): "Do you use objective test items or essay items?" What rule regarding item construction does it violate?
Do not use items that have two or more separate ideas in the same item.
In a meta-analysis of 100 studies that compared boys' and girls' knowledge of AIDS, an average ES of 0.50 was found. This number represents
a difference of 0.50 standard deviation units
In a meta-analysis, the results of various studies on a topic are quantified using a standard measure (ES) that is called
effect size
A researcher tests the knowledge that 10,000 school children from the southwestern United States have about nutrition, and the scores are transformed into percentiles by grade level. This type of research is a ________ survey study.
normative
A job analysis is primarily a form of what research technique
case study
The first step in conducting a questionnaire survey is to
list specific objectives to be achieved
A researcher wishes to study a group of children over a period of 10 years beginning in 2016 and ending in 2025. This is an example of a ________ study.
longitudinal
The fact that a meta-analysis quantifies findings from many studies is a frequently mentioned advantage. Another strong advantage of the meta-analysis over the normal review paper is
the description of the coding of study characteristics and the criteria for excluding studies
In calculating ES for a treatment effect between a pretest and a posttest, the text recommends the use of which standard deviation?
the pretest standard deviation
A major limitation in the use of video-recording in observational research is its
obtrusiveness
Which of the following are most difficult to analyze in a questionnaire study?
open-ended items
It is common when looking at a distribution to encounter extreme or unusual scores that could have a misleading effect on the results. These extreme scores are termed
outliers
Briefly discuss three major weaknesses in observational research that could affect the validity and reliability of the measures.
outliers: things occur to skew results semantics: must explain a task so everyone can understand it. if 6 year olds and 15 year olds are involved in the same study then they should explain it so both can understand. reliability: children in performance tests should repeat the test multiple times to make sure the result is accurate statistical problems: older children may have larger or smaller variances
When a national poll reports that its survey has a margin of error of 3%, it is referring to error due to
sampling
In a meta-analysis, the ES for the experimental versus control groups was 0.68, which represents a percentile equivalent of 75. This means that
the average score of the experimental group was better than 75% of the control group's scores
Explain the basis for the statement that representativeness of the sample is more important than size of the sample.
the sample should be as specific and accurate as possible. a sample that calls for high school students but 50% that take the survey are freshman will skew the results.
A survey technique that asks a jury of experts to respond to a series of questionnaires in order to reach a consensus about important issues is the
Delphi survey method
Explain how a single study can have more than one ES. Give an example
if you are comparing men and women in a study you would have an ES for males and another for females
Contrast the electronic questionnaire with the personal interview in terms of advantages or disadvantages in sampling, validity of responses, and administrative considerations (time, expense, helpers).
in person interviews are time consuming -pilot study must make sure the vocab is appropriate and the questions are equal to all being interviewed. -do not inject your own bias or argue with the respondent -disadvantage could be how easy it is to lose data..
One form of descriptive research uses surveys to gather data. These surveys may use different types of questions (e.g., fill-in, Likert-type, short answers) in the same instrument. Assume a survey has a number of Likert-type questions. List the steps an author should take to make certain the instrument is reliable and valid. Be specific and provide examples to explain your answer.
intervals between responses should be equal. example: strongly disagree and disagree should be the same as strongly agree and agree.
In developmental studies, when one wants to determine how individual children change rather than what is typical at each stage, one would prefer the ________ method.
longitudinal
What are three critical things that could be checked by doing a pilot study involving an electronic questionnaire survey?
-send a practice round of the survey out to classmates/professour -confirm email address if sampling is needed -make sure to send out the correct link to the survey
To help ensure an acceptable return rate in a questionnaire study, the researcher should
-use follow-up letters or e-mails -enclose or attach another copy of the survey
In a meta-analysis, the researcher found that the mean for the experimental group in a study was 14, and the mean for the control group was 10. The standard deviation of the control group was 5. Based on these data, what is the ES?
0.80
Scaled responses to questionnaire items such as strongly agree, agree, no opinion, and so on are referred to as ________ scale items.
Likert-type
A researcher wants to determine the percentages of time that a teacher spends in various tasks, such as demonstration, explanation, and monitoring students. Which of the following is probably the most valid way to research this?
an observational study
Determining the relationship between students' attitudes toward drugs and the frequency of drug usage is an example of a(n) ________ study
correlational
The inclusion criteria in a meta-analysis are very much like
delimitations
The practice of selecting a small random sample of a survey's nonrespondents is primarily intended to
determine whether the nonrespondents are a different population from the respondents
Choose the correct sequence for developing a questionnaire.
determining objectives, delimiting the sample, writing items, pilot testing
A basic characteristic of correlational research is that it
does not manipulate variables and hence cannot establish cause and effect
A cross-sectional developmental study seeks to assess age differences in physical performance of volunteer participants from ages 20 through 70. How might representative sampling in the study be problematic?
due to new research in the recent years, anyone who is 20 years old today will most likly be in better shape when they are 70 than anyone who is 70 years old today.
A major difference in the purpose of a meta-analysis and a review of literature for a research paper is that the meta-analysis uses the literature
for empirical and theoretical conclusions
The case study
gathers data from a single person or from a limited number of similar people
Discuss the ramifications of the "file-drawer" effect on meta-analyses.
papers with significant findings that are not peer reviewed are constantly being used in research. the meta-analysis should get a total of all peer reviewed and non. they should then get the ES of each and calculate the ratio of peer reviewed to non peer reviewed.
The most frequent and severe criticism of meta-analysis is that
the studies represent wide differences in methodologies, designs, and measurements
