WGU C224 Flashcards
____ is NOT a primary objective of educational research.
a. action
b. exploration
c. description
d. prediction
a. action
In deciding on whether a particular community program should be continued, what technique should a policy maker employ?
a. Formative evaluation
b. Summative evaluation
c. Implementation assessment
d. Needs assessment
b. summative evaluation
____ research type is best utilized at solving pressing local issues within educational communities.
a. basic
b. action
c. predictive
d. experimental
b. action
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.
a. real-world
b. theoretical
c. laboratory
d. fictional
a. real-world
Consumers of research can evaluate the strength of a study’s evidence by using _____.
a. anecdotal data
b. examples of data from other similar studies
c. critical thinking
d. needs assessment
c. critical thinking
Which statement is reflective of a replication study?
a. Conducting an instructional intervention study of at-risk high school students using techniques shown to be effective in a previous study, but adjusting to fit the new participants’ state curriculum standards
b. Copying a teacher survey study on changes to curriculum plans due to implementation of statewide standardized testing
c. Conducting a new integration study on effectiveness of technology previously not introduced into a middle school classroom
a. Conducting an instructional intervention study of at-risk high school students using techniques shown to be effective in a previous study, but adjusting to fit the new participants’ state curriculum standards
The phrase “This research study provides findings to support . . .” is reflective of what principle?
a. evidence
b. proof
c. replication
a. evidence
What kind of logic do confirmatory researchers follow in designing and carrying out studies?
a. Discovery
b. Justification
c. Exploration
b. justification
Science can answer many questions in life, except which of the following statements?
a. What is the purpose of leopard’s spots?
b. What is the cause of hurricanes/monsoons?
c. What is the meaning of life?
c. What is the meaning of life?
When evaluating a particular theory, which question would not be suitable to ask?
a. Does it provide irrefutable assertions?
b. Has it endured falsification attempts?
c. Is it logical and coherent?
a. Does it provide irrefutable assertions?
What does the problem of induction explain about the future?
a. It will probably reproduce the past.
b. It will duplicate the past.
c. It might not be similar to the past.
c. It might not be similar to the past.
What purpose does reason serve, according to the philosophical idea of rationalism?
a. The result of knowledge
b. The source of knowledge
c. The obstacle of knowledge
b. The source of knowledge
Which of the following is not an example of a sociological factor studied by educational researchers?
a. How groups and individuals affect one another.
b. How group members relate to one another.
c. How groups form and change.
a. How groups and individuals affect one another.
Theories can have many characteristics. Which characteristic is not likely to be one of them?
a. Localized
b. Indisputable
c. Provisional
b. Indisputable
What is the relationship between variables and constants?
a. A constant is another name for the larger variable group.
b. A constant is a single value of the larger variable group.
c. A constant is a larger group containing multiple variables.
b. A constant is a single value of the larger variable group.
A researcher wants to know if students who do well in high school algebra classes also do well in college statistics classes. The researcher asks students to self-report their algebra grades at the start of statistics class and then records their midterm and final exams.
a. describe students’ performance in algebra and statistics classes
b. predict students’ academic performance in statistics class
c. identify the reason that students have trouble in statistics class
b. predict students’ academic performance in statistics class
Why is it said that quantitative researchers use a “narrow-angle” lens in studies?
a. No specific factors are focused on.
b. A small number of causal factors are focused on.
c. Many causal factors are focused on.
b. A small number of causal factors are focused on.
Quantitative research is less useful than other types of research to study teenagers’ experiences during high school.
True or false?
True
What is the hallmark of nonexperimental research studies?
a. High control of extraneous variables
b. No manipulation of an independent variable
c. Full manipulation of the dependent variable
b. No manipulation of an independent variable
Quantitative observation involves the standardization of all observational procedures, including all of the following except __________.
a. when observations occur
b. why observations take place
c. who is being observed
b. why observations take place
The process by which environmental factors are isolated in order to determine the rate of a specific process is known as what?
a. Explanation
b. Determinism
c. Identification
b. Determinism
If quantitative researchers utilize a nonrandom sample, it is also known as which type of sample?
a. A biased sample
b. A balanced sample
c. A representative sample
a. A biased sample
Which of the following is indicative of quantitative research ontology (the Nature of Reality and Truth)?
a. reality is objective.
b. Reality is flexible.
c. Reality is subjective.
a. reality is objective
Research suggests that college students who have high levels of social anxiety also tend to have difficulty getting along with their roommates. This research finding is an example of a _______ correlation.
a. positive
b. negative
b. negative
In considering two-variable correlational and causal-comparative research studies, which of the following is not an important problem to consider?
a. Unclear temporal order of the variables
b. Lack of extraneous variables
c. No researcher manipulation of independent variables
b. Lack of extraneous variables
If random sampling is required to test a given hypothesis, which method of quantitative research would be the most effective?
a. Causal-comparative
b. Correlational
c. Experimental
c. Experimental
A researcher is interested in exploring and describing teachers’ experiences related to students reporting a lack of access to internet and other computing resources.
Which qualitative design is appropriate?
a. Grounded Theory
b. Case Study
c. Ethnography
d. Phenomenology
d. Phenomenology
The qualitative analysis strategy focusing on complex interdependencies and system dynamics is _____.
a. inductive analysis
b. holistic perspective
c. context sensitivity
d. reflexivity
b. holistic perspective
In a qualitative study, the researcher interviews four people with disabilities. The research report tells their stories, including their experiences in the public school system and the meanings they attached to these experiences.
Which qualitative design was used?
a. case study
b. narrative inquiry
c. phenomenology
d. grounded theory
b. narrative inquiry
Which qualitative framework describes lives/stories to add to understanding?
narrative inquiry
Which qualitative framework describes individuals’ experiences of a particular event, such as the death of a loved one?
phenomenology
Which qualitative framework addresses research questions through in-depth analysis of a single (or small group of) instance(s) or individual(s)?
case study
Which qualitative framework inductively generates a theory explaining a process?
grounded theory
Which qualitative framework describes cultural characteristics of a group of people?
ethnography
The theoretical framework of “Grounded Theory” originates from _____.
a. education
b. philosophy
c. sociology
d. archeology
c. sociology
Ontology (the Nature of Reality and Truth) and epistemology (the Theory of Knowledge) are examples of ________ within the context of research.
a. theoretical frameworks
b. design strategies
c. philosophical assumptions
d. analysis techniques
c. philosophical assumptions
A mixed-methods researcher combines quantitative and qualitative data to create one whole, cohesive dataset. This is called _______.
a. data display
b. data transformation
c. data integration
c. data integration
