Educational Research Foundations Flashcards
What is Educational Research?
it is the scientific field of study that examines education and learning processes and the human attributes, interactions, organizations, and institutions that shape educational outcomes
What is evidence used for?
Evidence is used to support or refute a theory or concept.
By studying educational research, students develop____________skills.
critical thinking
An important critical thinking question to ask regarding research studies is what efforts were taken to reduce the effects of ________, as prejudice can seriously hinder the results and validity of the study
bias
Educational research studies present ___________ for readers to consume and evaluate with critical thinking skills.
evidence
What is the best way to learn essential details of a research study?
critical thinking skills
What is a factor that could affect the results of a study?
bias
Research is about producing clear and defensible results also referred to as _________________.
evidence
What are the 5 types of educational research?
- Basic
- Evaluation
- Action
- Orientational
- Applied
_____________ is aimed at generating fundamental knowledge and theoretical understanding about primary human functions and other natural processes.
Basic Research
Who is the audience for Basic Research?
Other researchers
What is an example of basic research?
The effect of priming in memory.
Ex:
Assume that a researcher asks a volunteer to name a fruit and the volunteer responds with “pineapple.” Then on the second trial, the researcher asks the volunteer to either name another type of fruit or to name a type of dog. Researchers want to see which response volunteers can provide more quickly. Results may show that when initially asked to name a fruit, the volunteers’ memories become primed and they can name another type of fruit faster than they can name a type of dog. Priming is thought to occur because the first exposure activates the complex of neurons in long-term memory, where the concept is being stored.
What type of research is used in Basic Research?
Quantitative
_____________focuses on answering real-world, practical questions in order to provide relatively immediate solutions.
Applied Research
_______________studies often lead to intervention programs aimed at improving societal conditions.
Applied Research
_______________ research (or put more simply, evaluation) specifically involves determining the worth, merit, or quality of a specific program.
Evaluation
Evaluation is customarily subdivided into what two types according to the purpose of the evaluation:
Formative evaluation is concerned with developing judgments of how a program can be improved and aids developers and staff in designing and implementing programs.
Summative evaluation focuses on cultivating judgments of a program’s effectiveness and any decisions regarding continuation. It is especially helpful for policy makers to appraise previous future-funding decisions and determine upcoming decisions.
Basic Research is solution based, true or false?
False-it is knowledge driven
Applied Research is solution based, true or false?
True, it seeks to provide a practical solution to a defined problem
_____________research is on the Applied end of the spectrum, but how does it differ from Applied?
Orientatational
The focus is on real-world questions and applications. However, it is specifically focused on reducing inequality and giving voice to the disadvantaged.
____________research is focused on addressing and solving specific problems that local practitioners confront in their schools and communities, conducting research directly within the classroom or work environment.
Action
If an educator wants to develop an action research program in an elementary school, what kind of issue would most benefit from action research?
a. Rise in rate of obesity among the children participating in school lunches
b. Shortage of teachers for the upcoming school year
c. Overcrowding of teacher parking lot
A. Correct! Given the specific scope of the issue, action research could provide vital insight and strategies that the educator could present to supervisors and school board members.
Consumers of research can evaluate the strength of a study’s evidence by using __________.
Critical Thinking
Which of the following is not usually found in a research study’s abstract:
A. Conflicting studies
B. Purpose or goal
C. Methods used
D. Concise results
A. Conflicting Studies
The ultimate goal of exploratory research is to provide what for researchers?
A. Understanding
B. Speculation
C. Confusion
D. Uncertainty
A. Understanding
Applied research (e.g., action research) seeks to answer questions in a __________setting.
Real-World
________or________ is the philosophical idea that reason is the primary source of knowledge.
Reasoning or rationalism
What is empirical observation?
derived from experience or experiment
By always making sure that the __________are true and the argument forms are valid, deductive reasoning can serve a person well.
Premises
1 : a statement or idea taken to be true and on which an argument or reasoning may be based.
Unlike deductive assumptions, _____________________ holds that the foundational premises act as helpful but not decisive reasons toward acceptance of a conclusion.
inductive reasoning
What is probabilistic form of reasoning?
What is probable to occur, not what will necessarily occur (However, they open themselves up to a risk of being wrong).
Deductive reasoning holds that in order for a conclusion to be true, ___________________ must first be true.
the premise(s)
If someone is using inductive reasoning to conclude something will happen based on many previous observations, they are using
_____________________________form of reasoning.
probabilistic (based on or adapted to a theory of probability; subject to or involving chance variation).
What is a problem with induction reasoning?
the future might not resemble the past
____________only provides statements of probability, not certainty.
Induction
What is phenomena?
a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, especially one whose cause or explanation is in question.
What 3 factors do researchers study that are related to educational issues:
Psychological factors-Examining characteristics of individuals and individual-level phenomena (example: learning disabilities)
Social psychological factors-Examining how individuals interact and relate to one another and how groups and individuals affect one another (example: middle school cliques)
Sociological factors-Examining how groups form and change; documenting the characteristics of groups; studying intergroup relations; and studying group-level phenomena, such as cultural, social, political, familial, and economic institutions (example: high school student government relations)
A good researcher tries to collect and assemble high-quality __________and expects other researchers to do the same.
Evidence
All of the following describe a dynamic of science, except __________.
A. critical
B. progressive
C. compelling
D. illogical
D. illogical
Science is a dynamic process including countless activities. Several of the key features of science are:
- making observations,
- generating and testing hypotheses (educated guesses),
- generating and testing theories (explanations), and
- attempting to predict and positively influence the world.
Exploratory method is a ____________approach to research. It starts with ____________on the wheel.
bottom up
observation/data
This exploratory method is sometimes called the ________________merthod because it moves from the particular to the general.
inductive
particular equals observation and general equals theory
What order does Theory, Observation, and Hypotheses go in Exploratory Research?
Observation
Hypotheses
Theory
What order does Theory, Observation, and Hypotheses go in Confirmatory Research?
Theory
Hypotheses
Observation
This confirmatory method is sometimes called the____________method because it moves from the general to the particular.
deductive
It is vital to realize these two methods are not mutually exclusive, but rather mutually _____________.
beneficial
Essentially, the ____________scientific method focuses on theory discovery, generation, and construction; the ______________ scientific method focuses on theory testing or justification.
exploratory
confirmatory
The principle of evidence is…
in the face of replication, strong evidence rather than proof is all that can be obtained, because researchers always leave open the possibility that future researchers will devise new theories and new conclusions.
A theory can also be thought of as an…
explanation
__________________ research is a major approach to research with the specific purpose of answering research questions that lend themselves to study through the collection of numerical data (e.g., rating scales, GPA, frequency of events).
Quantitative
Typically, quantitative research follows the ________________scientific method, which is a bottom down approach and begins with theory.
confirmatory
What are the most common objectives of quantitative research?
description, prediction, control, and explanation
Quantitative researchers most often follow which scientific method to test hypotheses?
Investigative
Exploratory
Confirmatory
Confirmatory
Researchers choosing a quantitative research approach collect which type of data to test hypotheses?
Numerical data
Anecdotal data
Drawings and journaling
Numerical
In order to focus in on a single or select few factors of a given situation, quantitative researchers use a narrow or wide-angle lens?
narrow
Which of the following is an example of a statement reflecting probabilistic cause?
“Students who study two hours each day are more likely to make good grades than students who do not study two hours each day.”
“Students who study two hours each day will make good grades.”
“Students who study two hours each day are more likely to make good grades than students who do not study two hours each day.”
What is an independent variable?
One that is presumed to cause a change
Researches manipulate independent variables in a study. True or False?
True
A dependent variable is influenced by the independent variable. True or False?
True
How do researchers measure changes to variables?
Either Categorical by arranging into categories or Quantitative varying in degrees or amounts
There can be other factors that influence the dependent variable but not ones you want to study. What are those referred to as?
Extraneous Variables
When is Non-Experimental Research used?
when the research question or hypothesis can be about ONE variable rather than about the relationship between variables
What are the strengths of a quantitative research study?
Generalized and can be replicated
Controlled conditions
Allows for objective analysis
What are the weaknesses of a quantitative research study?
Data does not always provide information about the context
What is ontology?
(the researcher’s view of the nature of reality and truth)
What is epistemology?
(the researcher’s theory of how knowledge is created)
Objectivity is of the highest priority for quantitative researchers. Myth or Fact
Fact
Researchers conducting a quantitative study prefer to examine the breadth and depth of a phenomenon from a subjective point of view. Myth or Fact
Myth
Quantitative research often focuses on testing specific hypotheses. Myth or Fact
Fact
(apply to the epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, of quantitative research)
Search for existing truths. Applies or Does Not Apply?
Applies
(apply to the epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, of quantitative research)
Standards of knowledge varying with individuals or groups. Applies or Does Not Apply
Does Not Apply
(apply to the epistemology, or the theory of knowledge, of quantitative research)
Hypothesis justification based on experience or experiment. Applies or Does Not Apply?
Applies
A __________ is defined as a condition or characteristic that can assume different values or categories such as age, grade point average, test scores, and gender.
Variable
A __________________ is something that does not change, but represents a single value. A single value or category of a variable can be held constant in a study.
Constant
What are some examples of quantitative variables?
height, weight, temperature, reading performance, rate, number, etc.
What are some examples of categorical variables?
race, ethnicity, marital status, political party affiliation, social class, etc.
The independent variable is an ___________ variable because it must come before another variable if it is to produce a change in it.
antecedent
A ___________variable is presumed to be influenced by one or more independent variables.
dependent
Sometimes researchers call the dependent variable an _____________ variable or a response variable.
outcome
Finally, ______________________variables are variables other than the independent variable of interest that may be related to the outcome.
extraneous
Researchers studying eating habits of people in different cultures went to a fast food restaurant in France and the same restaurant in the United States. They observed restaurant patrons from the time they sat down until the time they left the restaurant and found that people spent less time at the table in France. The independent variable in this study is the:
Country
Time
Restaurant
Country
A researcher wants to study whether there is a relationship between students’ average grades in their first semester of college and whether they started college immediately after graduating from high school or took time off in between. In this case, going directly to college or not is a __________.
Constant or
Variable
Variable
Correct! A variable is a characteristic that can take on different values.
A researcher studies English as a second language development in preschoolers, but includes only children whose native language is Spanish. In this case, native language is a __________.
Constant or
Variable?
Constant
Consider the following situations and determine whether the concept is being used as a variable or whether a value of the concept is being held constant.
Employment status in a study comparing working and nonworking college students
Constant or
Variable?
Variable
In the most basic form of __________research, the researcher examines the correlation between two quantitative variables.
correlational
_________________research involves manipulating variables in a controlled environment to isolate the causal effects of a particular variable or set of variables.
Experimental
Experimental research requires _______ and_________groups for comparison; it also requires randomly assigned participants.
control and treatment
______________ research does not require control or treatment groups (but they can be used), and participants are usually in existing groups that are not randomly assigned.
Quasi-experimental
__________________________-research designs include correlational (studies that look at relationships between variables), predictive (studies that examine prediction of future levels of a variable), and causal-comparative methods (studies that examine how different preexisting groups vary on a variable or variables).
Non-experimental
The purpose of experimental research is to determine __________________ (i.e., causal) relationships.
cause-and-effect
Specifically, in experimental research, the researcher manipulates the _____________by actively intervening in the world, and then observes what happens.
independent variable
Specifically, in experimental research, the researcher manipulates the independent variable by actively intervening in the world, and then observes what happens.
Thus, _____________, an intervention studied by an experimenter, is the key defining characteristic of experimental research, as it is based on the activity theory of causation.
manipulation
DRY MIX
Dependent
Responding
Graphed on the Y-Axis
Manipulated
Independent
Graphed on the X-Axis
Quantitative Research is broken down into what two categories?
Experimental and Non-Experimental
________________ research requires control and treatment groups for comparison; it also requires randomly assigned participants.
Experimental
______________ research designs include correlational (studies that look at relationships between variables), predictive (studies that examine prediction of future levels of a variable), and causal-comparative methods (studies that examine how different preexisting groups vary on a variable or variables).
Nonexperimental
Which question can be addressed with experimental research?
Do older people have more negative perceptions about online banking than younger people?
Are people with insomnia likely to eat larger breakfasts than people who do not have trouble sleeping?
Are children likely to approach an animal in the park if they see a trusted adult being nice to that animal?
Does spending four or more hours a day playing computer games lead to attention deficit disorder?
Are children likely to approach an animal in the park if they see a trusted adult being nice to that animal?
Correct! In experimental research, the researcher manipulates the independent variable. In this scenario, the experimenter can manipulate whether the trusted adult approaches the animal or not.
In ____________ research, there is no manipulation of an independent variable. There also is no random assignment to groups by the researcher—as random assignment is only possible in the strongest of the experimental designs.
Nonexperimental
One type of nonexperimental research is _________________ research that examines the relationship between one or more categorical independent variables and one or more quantitative dependent variables.
causal-comparative
Another nonexperimental research method is called _____________research, wherein the researcher studies the relationship between one or more quantitative independent variables and one or more quantitative dependent variables; that is, in correlational research, both the independent and dependent variables are quantitative.
correlational
Which of the following is a characteristic of nonexperimental research design?
No manipulation of independent variables
Random assignment of groups
Active manipulation of independent variables
No manipulation of independent variables
Correct! Nonexperimental research designs include no direct manipulation of independent variables.
Causal-comparative research is considered the best design for establishing a cause-and-effect relationship.
True
False
False
Correct! The weaker nature of causal-comparative research means it is not the best design for cause-and-effect studies.
Which question can only be addressed with nonexperimental research?
Are children living with single parents more likely to attend daycare than children who live with two parents?
Are people who have perfectly symmetrical faces seen as more attractive than people who have asymmetrical faces?
Do students with limited free time work harder to finish their homework than students with a lot of free time?
Can a person detect what food they are eating if they are blindfolded and their sense of smell is blocked?
Are children living with single parents more likely to attend daycare than children who live with two parents?
Correct! Nonexperimental research lacks the manipulation of an independent variable, control of extraneous variables through random assignment, or both. The experimenter cannot randomly assign participants to live with single parents or with two parents.
Nonexperimental methods tend to be weaker or stronger for establishing definitive conclusions without the presence of manipulation?
Weaker
