Author: admin

Poor reporting in a style that is dull and colorless, too
flowery or flippant, too persuasive or of the “soap-box” type, or
improper in usage
It is apparent that historical research is difficult and
demanding. The gathering of historical evidence requires long hours of careful
examination of such documents as court records, records of legislative bodies,
letters, diaries, official minutes of organizations, or other primary sources
of data. Historical research may involve traveling to distant places to examine
the necessary documents or relics. In fact, any significant historical study
would make demands that few students have the time, financial resources,
patience, or expertise to meet. For these reasons good historical studies are
not often attempted to meet academic degree requirements.

Write a proposal for a historical study in a local setting.
You may select a community, school, church, religious or ethnic group, or
individual. State an appropriate title, present your hypothesis, indicate the
primary sources of data that you would search, and tell how you would evaluate
the authenticity and validity of your data.

1. Why is it sometimes difficult to distinguish between an
assessment study, an evaluation study, and a descriptive research project?
Illustrate with an example.
2. Public opinion polls base their conclusions on a sample
of approximately 1,500 respondents. Is this an adequate sample for a nationwide
survey?

In a 1974 study the West Virginia State Department of
Education reported that counties with the highest per-pupil expenditure were
the counties with the highest level of academic achievement and that this
“shows for the first time the clearest possible relationship between student
achievement and the amount of money invested in the public schools.” Can
you suggest several competing hypotheses that might account for high academic
achievement?

1. Of what value are the findings of the annual Gallup poll
of public attitudes toward education?
2. How could the survey-type of study be helpful in arriving
at solutions to the crime problem in large cities?

1. Why is it more difficult to control extraneous variables
in a classroom experiment than in a pharmaceutical laboratory experiment?
2. What significant element distinguishes a quasi-experiment
from a true experiment?

1. Why is an ex post facto study not an experiment?
2. A researcher proposing a research project defines the
dependent variable as “achievement in mathematics.” What difficulty
does this definition present? How would you improve it?