Chapter 3 Flashcards
primary source
is an original article or report in which researchers communicate directly to the reader the methods and results of their studies
secondary source
is one that reviews, summarizes, or discusses primary research (e.g., a textbook chapter)
Examples of secondary sources:
Professional Books and Textbooks
Encyclopedias
Reviews, Yearbooks, and Handbooks
The Purpose of Reviewing Related Literature
Refining the Research Problem
Establishing the Conceptual or Theoretical Orientation
Developing Significance
Identifying Methodological Limitations
Identifying Contradictory Findings
Developing Research Hypotheses
Learning About New Information
PsychINFO
Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms
The most highly used database in education is ________.
ERIC
The most highly used database in psychology is __________.
PsychINFO
Different versions of this database contain information on articles from the late 1800’s, and full text version from the late 1900’s.
____________ contains both scholarly and popular articles.
Info Trac Onefile
___________ and __________ publications work well in searches.
Journal Articles
Reports/Research
The goal of your search
should be to come up with an acceptable number of articles and/or reports for your purposes.
Meta Analyses
These combine the results of many primary sources on the same topic to determine an overall “effect size”
Different meta analyses on the same topic may come to somewhat different conclusions on effect size.
Best-Evidence Synthesis
This type of combination of primary sources results in a narrative, rather than statistical, summary as to the best practices in a field based upon the findings of primary sources (both quantitative and qualitative).
AND
The most common way of limiting a search is to use the connector “and.”
Put _________ around sets.
parentheses
Put _______ around phrases.
quotation marks
Put ________ between terms.
commas
The purpose of the review
is to relate previous research and theory to the problem under investigation.
Refining the Research Problem
The researcher learns how others have defined the general problem in more specific ways.
Establishing the Conceptual or Theoretical Orientation
The researcher places his/her study within the context of pertinent conceptual frameworks or theoretical orientations.
Developing Significance
The researcher can demonstrate the significance of his/her study within the context of previous knowledge.
Identifying Methodological Limitations
The researcher can identify promising methodological approaches while avoiding problematic ones.
Identifying Contradictory Findings
The researcher can discover contradictory findings or theories in the literature, and these can prove fruitful as areas for further research.
Developing Research Hypotheses
In quantitative studies, previous research may suggest a particular result in the current study. When no such studies exist, existing theory should be used to justify your hypotheses.
Learning About New Information
The literature review provides an opportunity to learn about new information the researcher hadn’t previously been aware of.
Take what kinds of notes when reading articles?
Make sure to record the bibliographic information on the article.
Indicate participants, instruments, and procedures.
Summarize results and conclusions.
Note any weaknesses or limitations.
Make note of the overall importance and quality of the article; you can use a rating scale to do this.
Strengths of Using the Internet
Strengths
Provides current information and covers niche topics
Can be accessed from everywhere
Easier to find most current copies of those journals that post their material online; full text articles often available
International material available (though often not in English)
Weaknesses of Using the Internet
Weaknesses
Does not provide access to all scholarly works.
Accuracy and validity of information often difficult to check.
No standardized search terms.
That fact that anyone can publish a web page means that quality can be dubious.
Subject directories
are the “yellow pages” of the Internet in which you can browse through lists of Internet resources by topic. Typically, each topic is located within a hierarchy of subjects.
The advantage of ____________ is that the content has been reviewed and organized by a human.
subject directories
Search engines
are large searchable databases of webpages
____________ are compiled automatically, and have not been vetted by a human.
Search engine databases
metasearch engine
a search engine that submits your search to multiple search engines at the same time
Examples of metasearch engines
Examples:
Dogpile, Clusty, and Metacrawler
ERIC
Education Resources Information Center
descriptors
are used to organize and index database materials by subject.
They are used to locate records that may not contain the specific keyword.
keywords
match words found in the indexed record. If you use keywords for a search, you will locate many more records than you would if you used a descriptor.
If the ERIC number begins with EJ, it is a ___________.
journal article
If the ERIC number begins with ED, it is a ___________.
nonjournal article
One advantage of searching nonjournal documents is that _____________ are often included.
conference presentations
___________ are more comprehensive than other secondary sources and more scholarly.
handbooks
__________ are considered secondary sources.
textbooks
meta analysis
is a procedure that uses statistical methods to systematically combine the results of a number of studies of the same problem.
meta-analysis
is a review that quantitatively synthesizes previous studies.
nonrefereed journal
a journal that does not use external reviewers to evaluate manuscripts
refereed
sent to reviewers for an evaluation
blind review
is one in which the names of the authors of the manuscript are omitted.
One of the most difficult aspects of using the Internet for educational research is that _________________________________________.
there is no standard controlled vocabulary that facilitates a search.
Two of the largest subject directories are _________ and __________.
Yahoo!
Often the best search strategy in a subject directory is _______________.
to steer clear of the search box and use the categories.
________________________ is most useful when you are not sure what category to choose for a particular subject.
the search function of a subject directory
search engines
are large searchable databases of webpages.
retrieval algorithms
determine both how many pages each search retrieves as well as how the results of each search are ordered
Examples of metasearch engines
Dogpile
Clusty
Metacrawler
With metasearch engines it is especially important to pay attention to __________.
relevancy
discussion group
is one in which messages are transmitted as email and are therefore available only to individuals who have subscribed to the mailing list
listsery
is a specific type of software for managing email lists
IES
Institute of Education Sciences
U.S. DOE
U.S. Department of Education
AERA
American Educational Research Association
Most educational research is document in either ______________ or ______________.
Chicago Manual of Style/Turabian style
APA format
Most ____________ are thematic.
qualitative reviews
quantitative reviews
are often very detailed and found in the beginning sections of an article
Quantitative Studies
Group studies together that investigate similar topics
The topics themselves should be ordered from more general to more specific
Within topics, studies can be organized from oldest to newest
You should either give enough details about the study so that the reader can fully understand, or just mention it in passing (e.g., Other have found similar results (Smith & Jones, 2012)). Don’t give some, but not all of the information, as the reader will not be able to fully follow the study
qualitative reviews
ten to be brief in the beginning but more integrated throughout the whole of the article
Review include three elements: _________, ___________, ___________.
summary of the study reviewed
analysis of the study
summary of how the study relates to the research problem
______________ should be used sparingly and only when a special or critical meaning could not be indicated by your own words.
quotations
WWC
What Works Clearinghouse
SIG
special interest groups
Foreshadowed Problems
A statement of the general purpose or question so that views of the participants will emerge
Mixed-Methods Studies
Usually presented in one section rather than having a separate review for the quantitative and qualitative sections
Exploratory Studies
The review tends to be like reviews in qualitative research
Explanatory Studies
The review tends to be like reviews in quantitative research
Criteria for Evaluating the Review of the Literature
The review of literature should adequately cover previous research.
The review of literature should cite actual findings from other studies.
The review of the literature should be up-to-date.
The review of literature should analyze as well as summarize.
The review of literature should be organized logically by topic, not by author.
The review of literature should briefly summarize minor studies and discuss major studies in detail.
The review of major studies should relate previous studies explicitly to the research problem or methods.
The review of literature should provide a logical basis for the hypothesis.
The review of literature should establish a theoretical or conceptual framework for the problem.
The review of literature should help establish the significance of the research.