Q&A Hero

Q: Jorge studies the effects of mnemonic training on learning vocabulary. He randomly assigns one group to a no treatment control and he gives mnemonic training to the other group. He assesses them at the end of the study and compares how many words they know. Which of the following designs is Jorge best illustrating? a. Pretest-posttest control group design b. Nonequivalent group control group design c. Posttest-only control group design d. Time series design

Q: Maya recently conducted a survey to ask community members about whether they would like the town to invest money into widening roads to accommodate a bicycle lane. Her survey included the following 5 questions. 1) Do you live in Healthy Township? Y_______ N_______ 2) Do you own a bicycle? Y_______ N _______ 3) How many miles a week do you drive your car? a. 0-15 b. 15-30 c. 30-45 d. 45-60 e. Greater than 60 Given the following scale answer questions 4 and 5. 1=Strongly Disagree, 2=Disagree, 3 =Neutral, 4=Agree, 5=Strongly Agree 4) I would ride my bike to work if there was a bike lane. 1 2 3 4 5 5) I believe we should widen the roads to accommodate a bike lane. 1 2 3 4 5 Given the above survey, Item 3 data would represent ________ level data. a. nominal b. ordinal c. interval d. ratio

Q: Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Ninth grade students enrolled in large classes who are taught algebra through the use of interleaved worked examples for each lesson perform better on an end of course test than are those taught with a single modeled example for each lesson. The dependent variable in the above stated hypothesis is: a. Type of instruction. b. Ninth grade students. c. Algebra. d. End of course test.

Q: In QUAN"QUAL research designs a. the researcher equally weighs the two forms of data collection. b. the researcher might supplement quantitative data with case vignettes. c. the researcher might supplement qualitative data with questionnaire data. d. the researcher might start with case studies and add census data.

Q: Of the following the most common data source in a qualitative study is a. e-mail. b. survey data. c. observations. d. document analysis.

Q: The third-grade teachers in one school are interested in the effects of seating assignments on self-esteem of students. All students take a self-esteem measure at the beginning of the school year. At the end of the school year, students take a self-esteem measure. Each teacher uses a different seating strategy for the year. This study best illustrates which of the following designs? a. Nonequivalent groups design b. Soloman four-group design c. Pretest-posttest control group design d. One group pretest-posttest design

Q: Given what we know, in Jana's study the statewide biology exam is best described as a. an aptitude test. b. a criterion-referenced test. c. a norm-referenced test. d. a standards-based test.

Q: Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Ninth grade students enrolled in large classes who are taught algebra through the use of interleaved worked examples for each lesson perform better on an end of course test than are those taught with a single modeled example for each lesson. The independent variable in the above stated hypothesis is: a. Type of instruction. b. Ninth grade students. c. Algebra. d. End of course test.

Q: Tacita is interested in how teachers' classroom management practices change over time. She conducts observations of 8 teachers' classrooms over the course of five years. She interviews the teachers and follows up with counts of referral data, disciplinary notes in children's files, and number of notes home per teacher per year. Tacita's study is also an example of a _______ research design. a. QUAN-QUAL b. QUAN-qual c. QUAL-quan d. Quantitative

Q: In qualitative research the primary source data is a. the researcher. b. the participant. c. face-to-face interaction. d. numerical data.

Q: Jack wants to test if runners on his cross-country team improve with his new training regimen. He takes their times at the beginning of the season and again at the end of the season. Runners in Jack's study improving their times due to running generally and not necessarily due to the new regimen is an example of which of the following threats? a. Selection b. Maturation c. History d. Instrumentation

Q: Jana is an action researcher who wants to better understand what predicts student success on the statewide standardized biology competency test. As her data sources, she administers the Biology Interest Survey (BIS) to all of her students, she categorizes students into two groups: those who have taken biology before and those who have not, and she also administers an in-class exam. The scores from the in class exam are then "˜curved". She uses these data sources as a means to predict student performance on the statewide biology competency exam. In Jana's study the Biology Interest Survey is best described as a. an aptitude test. b. an achievement test. c. an attitudinal measure. d. a projective assessment.

Q: Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Middle school students in an urban school who are trained in discussion techniques perform better on written tests of persuasive essays than those students who are not trained in discussion techniques. The dependent variable in the above stated hypothesis is: a. Urban school. b. Training in discussion techniques. c. Persuasive essay tests. d. Middle school students.

Q: Tacita is interested in how teachers' classroom management practices change over time. She conducts observations of 8 teachers' classrooms over the course of five years. She interviews the teachers and follows up with counts of referral data, disciplinary notes in children's files, and number of notes home per teacher per year. Tacita's design can best be described as a __________ mixed-methods design. a. triangulation b. interpretation c. exploratory d. explanatory

Q: The best location for the initial meetings with potential participants for a qualitative study is a. in the researcher's office. b. with a gatekeeper at a location of his or her selection. c. in the research setting. d. at a neutral location.

Q: Jack wants to test if runners on his cross-country team improve with his new training regimen. He takes their times at the beginning of the season and again at the end of the season. Which of the following designs is Jack best illustrating? a. One-shot case study b. One-group pretest-posttest design c. Pretest-posttest control group design d. Time series design

Q: Jana is an action researcher who wants to better understand what predicts student success on the statewide standardized biology competency test. As her data sources, she administers the Biology Interest Survey (BIS) to all of her students, she categorizes students into two groups: those who have taken biology before and those who have not, and she also administers an in-class exam. The scores from the in class exam are then "˜curved". She uses these data sources as a means to predict student performance on the statewide biology competency exam. In Jana's study, the in-class biology exam is best described as a. an aptitude test. b. an achievement test. c. an attitudinal measure. d. a projective assessment.

Q: Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Middle school students in an urban school who are trained in discussion techniques perform better on written tests of persuasive essays than those students who are not trained in discussion techniques. The independent variable in the above stated hypothesis is: a. Urban school. b. Training in discussion techniques. c. Persuasive essay tests. d. Middle school students.

Q: Pete is interested in the effectiveness of the new creative writing curriculum. He observes classes using the new curriculum, interviews students and teachers about their perceptions of the curriculum, and then examines end of year state-wide writing test grades. Pete's mixed-methods study is best described as one that employs a(n) _____________ design. a. triangulation b. interpretation c. exploratory d. explanatory

Q: Suggest how Cameron could like to increase the power of his study. a. He could run a different analysis. b. He could add more participants. c. He could increase the number of conditions d. He could increase the number of items on the test.

Q: A factorial design includes: a. One manipulated independent variable. b. More than one manipulated independent variable. c. Two or more independent variables, one of which is manipulated. d. Multiple dependent variables.

Q: Jana is an action researcher who wants to better understand what predicts student success on the statewide standardized biology competency test. As her data sources, she administers the Biology Interest Survey (BIS) to all of her students, she categorizes students into two groups: those who have taken biology before and those who have not, and she also administers an in-class exam. The scores from the in class exam are then "˜curved". She uses these data sources as a means to predict student performance on the statewide biology competency exam. The level of data represented by the in class exam is a. nominal. b. ordinal. c. interval. d. ratio.

Q: Identify the independent variable in the following hypothesis. Children who are given a free breakfast at school perform better on achievement tests and are more motivated for school than are those children who are not given breakfast. a. achievement tests b. free breakfast c. children d. motivation

Q: Lisa is interested in how the general public feels about nanotechnology. She conducts a survey through the mail and also follows up by identifying key personnel in the community and interviewing them. Lisa's mixed-methods study is best described as one that employs a(n) ____________ design. a. triangulation b. interpretation c. exploratory d. explanatory

Q: How many levels of does he have of his independent variable? a. 0 b. 1 c. 2 d. 3

Q: Which of the following is a concern with the nonequivalent control group design? a. Selection interactions. b. History. c. Mortality. d. Maturation.

Q: Jana is an action researcher who wants to better understand what predicts student success on the statewide standardized biology competency test. As her data sources, she administers the Biology Interest Survey (BIS) to all of her students, she categorizes students into two groups: those who have taken biology before and those who have not, and she also administers an in-class exam. The scores from the in class exam are then "˜curved". She uses these data sources as a means to predict student performance on the statewide biology competency exam. The level of data represented by the variable previous class experience is a. nominal. b. ordinal. c. interval. d. ratio.

Q: To operationalize a variable means to ___________ the variable. a. manipulate b. control c. define d. mediate

Q: Those studies that use quantitative and qualitative methods equally to examine a research question are referred to as which type of mixed-methods designs? a. Triangulation b. Interpretation c. Exploratory d. Explanatory

Q: In his study of effectiveness of driver's education programs, Cameron administers a practice items from a drivers' test. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two treatments, either a tutorial that narrates content, or an equivalent amount of time to practice items with feedback. After the treatment, Cameron again assesses students' knowledge with a drivers' test. He set his alpha at p=.05, and reported that significant differences indicated that those in the practice with feedback condition outperformed those in the tutorial condition. Which of the following is the dependent variable in Cameron's study? a. Type of instruction b. Tutorial c. Drivers' test d. Effectiveness

Q: Of the following, which is an example of a pre-experimental design? a. Time series design b. Static group comparison c. Posttest only control group design d. Nonequivalent control group design

Q: Given the following information about a test, compute the KR-21. The test has 50 items, the median is 36, the mode is 34, the mean is 35, and the standard deviation is 4. a. .30 b. .35 c. .40 d. .45

Q: Of the following which is NOT a characteristic of a good hypothesis statement? a. It is testable within a reasonable time frame. b. It is supported by everyday experiences and intuition. c. It provides a reasonable explanation for the predicted outcome. d. It clearly states the expected relationship between the defined variables.

Q: Hadasa conducted systematic observations of high school sports teams and coded displays of student athlete frustration. It appeared from these observations that coaching style might be related to athlete frustration. She conducted a self-report survey that asked student athletes to respond regarding their degree of perceived frustration and coaching style so she could conduct correlational analyses to further explore her question. Hadasa's study can best be described as a(n) _________ mixed-methods design. a. exploratory b. interpretation c. triangulation d. explanatory

Q: In his study of effectiveness of driver's education programs, Cameron administers a practice items from a drivers' test. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two treatments, either a tutorial that narrates content, or an equivalent amount of time to practice items with feedback. After the treatment, Cameron again assesses students' knowledge with a drivers' test. He set his alpha at p=.05, and reported that significant differences indicated that those in the practice with feedback condition outperformed those in the tutorial condition. Which of the following were appropriate for Cameron to use to analyze his data? T-test a. ANCOVA b. Chi Square c. Pearson r d. HLM

Q: Which of the following is a drawback of the Soloman Four group design? a. Lack of control for threats to internal validity. b. The large number of participants needed. c. Systematic desensitization. d. Increased experimenter effects.

Q: Given a 50 item multiple-choice test with a mean of 30,standard deviation of 4, and a reliability coefficient of .80, calculate the Standard Error of Measurement. a. 2.60 b. 1.80 c. "2.40 d. 0.80

Q: Of the following which is NOT part of a research topic? a. The data collection procedures. b. The background of the topic. c. The significance of the study. d. The limitations of the study.

Q: A study that relies primarily on qualitative data and uses quantitative data for building is referred to as a(n) _______________ mixed-methods design. a. triangulation b. interpretation c. exploratory d. explanatory

Q: In his study of effectiveness of driver's education programs, Cameron administers a practice items from a drivers' test. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two treatments, either a tutorial that narrates content, or an equivalent amount of time to practice items with feedback. After the treatment, Cameron again assesses students' knowledge with a drivers' test. He set his alpha at p=.05, and reported that significant differences indicated that those in the practice with feedback condition outperformed those in the tutorial condition. Which of the following best represents the type of research Cameron conducted? a. Correlational b. Experimental c. Descriptive d. Narrative

Q: For which of the following designs is multiple treatment interference a substantial threat? a. Time series design. b. Counterbalanced design. c. Solomon Four group design. d. Posttest-only control group design.

Q: As Ron, a sixth grade teacher, is administering a State mandated test, he finds that one of the reading passages is a section from a book the class read this year. Therefore, the students in his class have been exposed to the test content before the exam. Which of the following is accurate regarding the test as measure of Ron's class's reading? a. The content validity of the test will go up. b. The construct validity of the test will go down. c. The construct validity of the test will go up. d. The predictive validity of the test will go up.

Q: Stephanie has a research topic for her class paper. She wants to study the effects of alphabetic seating compared to other forms of class structure. She can find no research that addresses this topic. Her research advisor is likely to suggest which of the following strategies for her study. a. Pick a new topic. Seating arrangements in classrooms are not of educational relevance. b. Narrow her topic. It is too broad. c. Expand the topic to include different types of class structure. d. Pick a new topic. Seating arrangements are unethical to study.

Q: Paola is interested in what young children pay attention to when they play online games. She uses an eyegaze measure that gives her the location and duration of what the children look at while playing, over time. She conducts interviews with children that seem to display specific patterns of behavior based upon the eyegaze data. Paola's strategy can best be described as a(n) ______________ approach to mixed methods design. a. interpretation b. exploratory c. explanatory d. triangulation

Q: In her study of student athlete's achievement motivation, Katie administers a self-report achievement motivation scale before she starts a new motivation enhancement intervention. After the intervention, Katie again assesses students' achievement motivation. She set her alpha at p=.05, and reported that there were no significant findings in her study. From the following options, how would you advise Katie regarding her analyses? a. Change your probability level to p=.001 b. Evaluate and conduct the study with a new sample c. Reanalyze with a two-tailed analyses d. Use a non-parametric significance test

Q: Which of the following is the primary drawback of the posttest-only design? a. History. b. Selection. c. Mortality. d. Regression.

Q: The required information needed in order to compute KR-21 includes a. number of items on the test, mean score, and median score. b. number of items on the test, mean score, and standard deviation. c. mean score, standard deviation, median score. d. mean score, reliability coefficient, and standard deviation.

Q: Of the following, which is a quantitative research topic? a. The purpose of the study is to study the characteristics of female students in advanced mathematics courses. b. The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between future career goals and enrollment in advanced mathematics courses. c. This study examines what teachers should do to enroll more female students in advanced mathematics courses. d. The goals of this research were to describe two female students' experiences in advanced mathematics.

Q: A study that relies primarily on quantitative data and uses qualitative data to follow up is considered an example of a(n) ___________ approach to mixed methods design. a. triangulation b. interpretation c. exploratory d. explanatory

Q: In her study of student athlete's achievement motivation, Katie administers a self-report achievement motivation scale before she starts a new motivation enhancement intervention. After the intervention, Katie again assesses students' achievement motivation. She set her alpha at p=.05, and reported that there were no significant findings in her study. Katie questions whether there are significant differences in her study but her significance level is unable to detect these differences. What Type of error is Katie most concerned that she is committing? a. Type I b. Type II c. Type III d. Type IV

Q: Of the following, the design that best controls for internal validity threats is the a. Posttest only control group design. b. Pretest-posttest group design. c. Time series design. d. Soloman four-group design.

Q: Gwen is conducting a study on mathematics skills. She is interested in a test that measures computation of basic algebra. She found one with a reported KR-20 of .34. What is one conclusion Gwen can make regarding the test as a measure of algebra skills? a. The reliability is generally low b. The content validity is generally valid c. The predictive validity is moderately valid d. The consequential validity is moderately valid

Q: Of the following, which is a quantitative research topic? a. The purpose of this study is to examine how teacher's should help students during office hours. b. The purpose of the study is to explore the experiences of students who seek help from faculty during office hours. c. The purpose of this study is to compare the grades of students who go to office hours and those who do not. d. The purpose of this study is to suggest how many office hours faculty should hold each week.

Q: Which of the following is a concern regarding mixed-methods studies compared to either qualitative or quantitative research? Mixed-methods research a. generally includes instrumentation that is deemed less reliable than other forms of research. b. has greater external validity threats than are found in other forms of research. c. requires greater understanding of a broad range of research methods than other forms of research. d. is generally less ethical when compared to other forms of research.

Q: In her study of student athlete's achievement motivation, Katie administers a self-report achievement motivation scale before she starts a new motivation enhancement intervention. After the intervention, Katie again assesses students' achievement motivation. She set her alpha at p=.05, and reported that there were no significant findings in her study. Which statistical analysis was appropriate for Katie to use to determine if there were treatment differences in her study? a. Pearson r b. ANOVA c. Spearman rho d. T-Test

Q: Linda is conducting a federally-funded research project that examines literacy skills in middle school learners. Bonnie recently started a new that specifically focuses on reading strategies. Some of the students are participating in both studies. a. This is of no concern because there are two different studies. b. This is a mostly a threat to internal validity. c. This is mostly a threat to external validity. d. This is an example of the placebo effect.

Q: An instrument that measures mathematics knowledge, reading comprehension, and computation skills provides four measures, one score for each scale and an overall score. Which of the following is likely regarding the properties of the scores? a. The reliabilities of the individual scores are lower than the overall score. b. The reliabilities of the individual scores are higher than the overall score. c. The reliability of the overall score is the average of the reliabilities of the individual scores. d. The reliability of the overall score is the sum of the reliabilities of the individual scores.

Q: Of the following, which is a quantitative research topic? a. The purpose of this study is to explore the experiences of first year principals. b. This study describes the decision making process of school board members during redistricting. c. The goals of this study are to report what nurse practitioner-teachers should do to prepare today's nurses. d. This study tests the effects of a new alternative education program on students' self-esteem.

Q: Of the following, which best illustrates an example of a mixed-methods study that addresses homework practices and student achievement? a. Barb conducts interviews with students and parents and examines student standardized test scores. b. Akasha collects PSAT scores, class grades, and end of year standardized test scores c. Lee conducts observations of activities during a homework club and interviews parents, teachers, and students. d. Kareem uses SES data collected from the school, including parents' education level, family income, and neighborhood and student test scores.

Q: In her study of student athlete's achievement motivation, Katie administers a self-report achievement motivation scale before she starts a new motivation enhancement intervention. After the intervention, Katie again assesses students' achievement motivation. She set her alpha at p=.05, and reported that there were no significant findings in her study. Which of the following best represents the design of Katie's study? a. Experimental b. Cross-sectional c. Correlational d. Pre-experimental

Q: The most significant threat to internal validity of the time series design is a. history. b. maturation. c. regression. d. mortality.

Q: The local school district administers two different writing assessments. One requires learners to identify errors in examples and answer them objectively. The second requires the learners to write an essay. Of the following which is likely true regarding these assessments? a. The objective test is more reliable than the essay. b. The objective test is less reliable than the essay. c. The objective test is less valid than the essay. d. The objective test is more consequentially valid than the essay.

Q: Sarah is really excited about her research topic. There are many homeschoolers in her state and she wants to research if homeschoolers should hire professional educators to assist them with curriculum development. Of the following, which is the most important problem with Sarah's topic as currently developed? a. It is not researchable. b. It is not ethical. c. It is not of interest to Sarah. d. It is not relevant to educational theory or practice.

Q: Of the following, which best illustrates an example of a mixed-methods study that addresses selection of a major at a large land-grant university? a. Karen uses high school grades, university grades, and scores on a career placement survey to predict students' major. b. Jonna uses high school grades, SAT scores, and university placement exam scores to classify likely success in a given major. c. Bonnie interviews high school students about their career aspirations and follows them through their second year of university collecting interview data every 3 months.. d. Pui-wa collects career placement survey data and conducts follow-up interviews with a portion of the respondents selected based upon their major.

Q: To determine if there were significant differences between groups, Chole would have conducted which of the following analyses? a. Chi-Square b. Pearson r c. T-Test d. ANOVA

Q: Given a choice of the following research designs, which design controls the most threats to internal validity? a. One-shot case study b. One group pretest-posttest c. Static group comparison d. Pretest-posttest control group

Q: When considering a particular test, the most important consideration is a. ease of administration. b. cost of the administration. c. reliability. d. validity.

Q: According to your text the first step in identifying a topic is to a. go to the library and hand-search the journals. b. read as many empirical studies as you can. c. select something of interest to you. d. ask your advisor or colleagues for ideas.

Q: Of the following, which best illustrates an example of a mixed-methods study? a. Jenka uses interviews and observations in her study of transitional students. b. Vanda conducts observations and supplements her findings with class grades. c. Micky uses percentages of successful transitions from the district and class grades. d. Svec interviews both parents and their children regarding transition.

Q: Chloe concluded that there were differences in achievement goals between those who had completed a ropes course and those who did not complete the course. However, there were no true differences between groups. The ropes course had no significant effect on achievement goals? In this scenario, Chloe's conclusion represents a a. Type I error. b. Type II error. c. Type III error. d. Type IV error.

Q: In a recent study of young children's reading skills, Gregg and Steve both collected data. Gregg did not push the children and his scores are systematically lower than are Steve's. This example illustrates a. compensatory rivalry. b. placebo effect. c. treatment diffusion. d. experimenter effects.

Q: Buro's institute of Mental Measurements Yearbooks provides a. a directory of all test publishers. b. reviews of various forms of tests. c. copies of tests to use for research and practice. d. formulas to use to compute reliability coefficients.

Q: Haider is a master's student deciding on his thesis topic. He approaches his advisor and pitches the idea of exploring the use of teacher feedback on subsequent self-confidence. He wants to erroneously tell students they performed poorly on a series of assignments and then examine changes in self-confidence. His advisor is skeptical and asks him to think about ways to tweak the topic. Of the following what is the most likely reason? a. The study is not ethical. b. The study is too narrow. c. The study is not significant. d. The study is too broad.

Q: By definition, mixed-methods research designs a. include both relationship questions and difference questions in the same study. b. include both descriptive and inferential statistics in the analysis. c. include both quantitative and qualitative data. d. include a number of quantitative measures of student performance.

Q: Given a set of scores in a normal distribution with a mean of 80, standard deviation of 4, and sample size of 100. If the sample were increased to 200 participants would we expect to happen to the standard error? a. The standard error would be unaffected b. The standard error would decrease c. The standard error would increase d. The standard error would double

Q: Nadine conducted a pretest-posttest control group design. The comparison group received traditional lecture of course content while the treatment group received the lecture and instructor-provided summary notes. She found, however, no differences between conditions, due in part to students sharing the instructor summaries across conditions. This is an example of a. compensatory rivalry. b. treatment diffusion. c. placebo effect. d. experimenter effects.

Q: The relationship between reliability and SEm is that a. if reliability increases SEm increases. b. if reliability increases SEm decreases. c. if reliability is positive SEm is positive. d. if Reliability is positive SEm is negative.

Q: Dabir is an educational psychologist. He needs a thesis topic. He approaches his advisor and tells her he wants to do a study on help-seeking in college students. His advisor sends him away to think some more. Of the following what is the most likely reason? a. The topic is not ethical. b. The topic is too narrow. c. The topic is too broad. d. The topic is not significant.

Q: Of the following, which is a characteristic of quantitative research methods? a. Quantitative researchers employ an inductive approach. b. Quantitative researchers describe relationships. c. Quantitative researchers focus on cause-effect relationships. d. Quantitative researchers work with a "guiding hypothesis"

Q: Given a set of scores in a normal distribution with a mean of 80, standard deviation of 4, and sample size of 100.What is the standard error of the mean of this distribution?A. .05B. .20C. .40D. .80