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Research Methods in Education Flashcards

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1680472550Theoryan organized body of concepts, generalizations, and principles that can be investigated0
1680472551Replicationrepetition of a study using different subjects to retest its hypothesis1
1680472552Significant Studyone that contributes in some way to the improvement or understanding of educational theory or practice2
1680472553topic statementgenerally describes the variables of interest, the specific relations among those variables, and ideally, important characteristics of the participants.3
1680472554Hypothesisa researcher's prediction of the research findings, a statement of the researcher;s expectations about the relations among the variables in the research topic4
1680472555operational definitionsclarify important terms in a study so that all readers understand the precise meaning the researcher intends.5
1680472556inductive hypothesisgeneralization based on specific observations6
1680472557deductive hypothesisderived from theory and provides evidence that supports, expands or contradicts the theory7
1680472558non-directional hypothesisstates simply that a relation or difference between variables exists8
1680472559directional hypothesisstates the expected direction of the relation or difference9
1680472560null hypothesisstates that there is no significant relation or difference between variables10
1680472561guiding hypothesisqualitative researchers that generate new hypotheses as a result of their studies rather than solidifying the intention of the research beforehand11
1680472562research plandetailed description of a study proposed to investigate a given problem12
1680472563populationthe larger group from which the sample will be selected13
1680472564instrumenta test or tool used for data collection and the instruments section of a research plan14
1680472565designgeneral strategy or plan for conducing a research study15
1680472566assumptionan assertion presumed to be true but not actually verified16
1680472567limitationsome aspect of the study that the researcher cannot control but believes may negatively affect the results of the study17
1680472568pilot studysmall-scale trial of a study conducted before the full-scale study18
1680472569samplea group of individuals, items or events that represent the characteristics of the larger group from which the sample is drawn.19
1680472570samplingthe process of selecting a sample20
1680472571generalizablethe results of the research will be applicable to other samples selected from the same population21
1680472572representative sampleA sample that accurately reflects the characteristics of the population as a whole22
1680472573target populationthe population to which the researcher would ideally like to generalize study results23
1680472574accessible populationthe population from which the researcher can realistically select subjects24
1680472575probability samplingthe techniques used that permit the researcher to specify the probability or chance that each member of a defined population will be selected for the sample25
1680472576simple random samplingthe process of selecting a sample in such a way that all individuals in the defined population have an equal and independent chance of selection for the sample26
1680472577stratified samplinga way to guarantee desired representation of relevant subgroups within the sample27
1680472578stratathe name of the population that is subdivided into subgroups28
1680472579proportional stratified samplingprocess of selecting a sample in such a way that identified subgroups in the population are represented in the same proportion in which they exists in the population.29
1680472580cluster samplingintact groups, not individuals, are randomly selected30
1680472581clusterany location within which we find an intact group of a population members with similar characteristics31
1680472582multistage samplingsampling that can be carried out in stages (i.e. the steps to select clusters from other clusters)32
1680472583systematic samplingsampling in which every kth individual is selected from a list33
1680472584sampling errorthe chance variation when a sample differs significantly from the population on some important variable34
1680472585sampling biassystematic sampling error that is generally the fault of the researchers. occurs when some aspect of the sampling creates a bias in the data35
1680472586nonprobability samplingprocess of selecting a sample using a technique that does not permit the researcher to specify the probabilist or chance that each member of a population has of being selected for the sample36
1680472587convenience samplingprocess of including whoever happens to be available at the time.37
1680472588purposive samplingprocess of selecting a sample that is believed to be representative of a given population38
1680472589quota samplingthe process of selecting a sample based on required exact numbers of individuals or groups with varying characteristics39
1680472590quotasexact numbers40
1680472591qualitative samplingprocess of selecting a small number of individuals for a study in such a way that the individuals chosen will be good key informants who will contribute to the researcher's understanding of a given phenomenon41
1680472592data saturationwhen the researcher begins to hear the same thoughts, perspectives, and responses from most or all participants, additional participants are not needed at least for that particular topic or issue42
1680472593intensity samplingselect participants who permit study of different levels of the research topic43
1680472594homogenous samplingselect participants who are very similar in experience, perspective, or outlook, this produces a narrow homogenous sample and makes date collection and analysis simple44
1680472595criterion samplingselecting all cases that meet some set of criteria or ahave some characteristic45
1680472596snowball samplingselect a few people who fit a researcher's needs then using those participants to identify additional participants and so on until the researcher has a sufficient number of participants46
1680472597random purposive samplingselecting more particpants than needed for the study47
1680472598vignettebrief evocative description account or episode48
1680472599datapieces of information you collect and use to examine your topic hypothesis or observation49
1680472600constructan abstraction that cannot be observed directly, invented to explain behavior50
1680472601variablea placeholder that can assume any one of a range of values, at least two values or scores.51
1680472602measurement scalea system for organizing data so that it may be inspected, analyzed and interpreted52
1680472603nominal variablevalues that includes two or more named categories, often represented by numbers53
1680472604ordinal variablesnot only classifies person or objects but ranks them from highest to lowest or from most to least, unequal units54
1680472605interval variableall the characteristics of a nominal and ordinal variable but value is represented in equal intervals. no true zero point55
1680472606ratio variablenamed categories, ranked highest to lowest or from most to least, equal intervals and true zero point56
1680472607quantitative variablesexists on a continuum that ranges from low to high or less to more. ordinal interval and ratio variables are this57
1680472608dependent variablein an experimental study is the variable hypothesized to depend on or to be caused by another variable58
1680472609independent variablealways the hypothesized cause of the dependent variable59
1680472610testformal systematic procedure for gathering information about peoples cognitive and affective characteristics60
1680472611cognitive characteristica mental characteristic related to intellect61
1680472612affective characteristicmental characteristic related to emotion62
1680472613standardized testone that is administered, scored, and interpreted in the same way no matter where or when it is used63
1680472614assessmentbroad term that encompasses the entire process of collecting, synthesizing and interpreting information64
1680472615measurementthe process of quantifying or scoring performance on an assessment instrument, occurs after data are collected65
1680472616selection methodstest taker has to select from among a set of given answers66
1680472617supply methodstest take has to give an answer67
1680472618performance assesmenttype of assessment that emphasizes a student process or product68
1680472619raw scorethe number or point value of items a person answered correctly on an assessment69
1680472620norm-referenced scoringa student's performance on an assessment is compared to the performance of others70
1680472621grading on the curvebell shaped distribution of the percentages of students who received each grade71
1680472622criterion-referenced scoringan individuals performance on an assessment is compared to a predetermined external standard rather than to the performance of others72
1680472623self-referenced scoring approachesmeasuring how an individual students performance on a single assessment changes over time73
1680472624mental measurement year booka major source of test information for educational researchers74
1680472625cognitive testmeasures intellectual processes75
1680472626achievement testmeasures an individual's current proficiency in given areas of knowledge or skill76
1680472627diagnostic testyields multiple scores to facilitate identification of a student's weak and strong areas within the subject area77
1680472628aptitude testa test used to predict how well an individual is likely to perform in a future situation78
1680472629affective testassessment designed to measure affective mental characteristics related to emotion79
1680472630valuesdeeply held beliefs about ideas persons or objects80
1680472631attitudesindicate our favorable or unfavorable feelings, reflect our tendencies to accept or reject groups ideas or objects81
1680472632interestsindicated the degree to which we seek out or desire to participate in particular activities, objects and ideas82
1680472633personalitymade up of a number of characteristics that represent a person's typical behaviors83
1680472634attitude scalean instrument that measures what an individual believes, perceives, or feels about self other activities, institutions, or situations84
1680472635likert scalerequires an individual to respond to a series of statements by indicating whether he or she strongly agrees85
1680472636semantic differential scalerequires an individual to indicate his or her attitude about a topic by selecting a position on a continuum that ranges from one bipolar adjective to another.86
1680472637rating scaleused to measure a respondent's attitudes toward self, others, activities, institutions, or self87
1680472638thurstone scalerequires participants to select from a list of statements that represent different points of view on a topic88
1680472639guttman scalerequires respondents to agree or disagree with a number of statements89
1680472640unidimensional scaleproduces a cumulative scale in which an individual who agrees with a given statement also agrees with all related preceding statements90
1680472641interest inventoryrequires participants to indicate personal likes and dislikes91
1680472642personality inventoryincludes questions or statements that describe behaviors characteristics of certain personality traits92
1680472643response settendency of an individual to respond in a particular way to a variety of interments93
1680472644biasdistortion of research data that renders the data suspect or invalid94
1680472645validitythe degree to which a test measures what is supposed to measure and consequently permits appropriate interpretations of scores95
1680472646content validitydegree to which a test measures an intended content area96
1680472647item validityconcerned with whether the test items are relevant to the measurement of the indented content area97
1680472648sampling validityconcerned with ho well the test samples the total content area being tested98
1680472649face validityrefers to the degree to which a test appears to measure what it claims to measure99
1680472650criterion-related validitydetermined by relating performance on a test to performance on a second test or other measure100
1680472651concurrent validitydegree to which scores on one test are related to the scores on a similar preexisting test administered in the same time frame or to some other valid measure available at the same time101
1680472652predictive validitydegree to which a test can predict how well an individual will do in future situation102
1680472653predictiorthe variable upon which the prediction is based103
1680472654criterionpredicted variable which must be a valid measure of the performance to be predicted104
1680472655construct validityreflects the degree to which a test measures an intended hypothetical construct105
1680472656consequential validitythe extent to which an instrument creates harmful effects for the user106
1680472657standards for education and pyschological testing manuala comprehensive list of 24 validity standards that if met allow educational researchers to make robust claims about the context specific interpretations they make107
1680472658stabilitydegree to which scores on the same test are consistent over time, also known as test-retest reliability108
1680472659equivalenceequivalent-forms reliability is the degree to which two similar forms of a test produce similar scores from a single group of test takers109
1680472660internal consistency reliabilitythe extent to which items in a single test are consistent among themselves and with a test as a whole110
1680472661split-half reliabilitya measure of internal consistency that involves dividing a test into two halves and correlating the scores on the two halves111
1680472662Kuder-Richardson 20 (Kr 20)special case formula, estimate internal consistency reliability by determining how all items on a test relate to all other test items and to the total test112
1680472663Cronbach's alphageneral formula if items can have more than two scores, estimate internal consistency reliability by determining how all items on a test relate to all other test items and to the total test113
1680472664Kuder-Richardson 21 (KR-21)alternative method to Kuder and Richardson114
1680472665standard error of measurementestimate of how often one can expect errors of a given size in an individual's test score115
1680472666Tests in Printcomprehensive bibliography of all known commercially available tests that are currently in print.116

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