Author: admin

Classify the following variables as categorical or
continuous:
a. Achievement
b. Phonics method of reading versus look–
say method of reading
c. Spanish speaking, English speaking,
French speaking
d. Muscle prowess
e. Music aptitude

The statement “Math achievement will
be measured by the score made on the
mathematics subtest of the Iowa Tests of
Educational Development” is an example of
which of the following?
a. Hypothesis
b. Theoretical principle
c. Constitutively defi ned construct
d. Operationally defi ned construct

1. Suggest a research study for which a mixed methods design
would be the most appropriate.
2. Which research method (experimental,
ex post facto, or survey) would most effectively give you
answers to each of the following questions?
a. Do children who eat breakfast get better
grades in school?
b. Does a unit on proper nutrition change
children’s breakfast-eating habits?
c. How many children in school report
that they do not have breakfast at
home?
d. Does the institution of a free breakfast
program at school make a difference in
the achievement of students?

Based on the titles, classify each of the following studies
according to the research
methodology most likely used:
a. Gender-Based Differential Item
Performance in Mathematics
b. Improving Math Skills of High School
Students
c. College Students’ Views and Ratings of
an Ideal Professor
d. Effect of Early Absence of Father on
Scholastic Aptitude
e. An Alternative High School: An In-Depth
Study
f. An Analysis of Social Studies Textbooks
Used in Russian Middle Schools to
Determine How America Is Portrayed

1. Give an example of how basic research in the biological
sciences has improved the practice of medicine.
2. Give an example of how basic research in learning has
improved the practice of teaching

Give an example of applied research completed in your fi eld
of interest. List other areas in which additional research needs to be done in
your fi eld. What variables might be investigated in such studies?

What research methodology do you believe would be the most appropriate for investigating each of the following research questions?
How do parents conduct home schooling?
Does collaborative learning promote achievement in the college classroom?
What is the relationship between vocabulary and reading achievement in the primary grades?
Do parents support character education in the middle school curriculum?
What is the relationship between teachers’ undergraduate background (education versus liberal arts) and certain measures of competence in the classroom?
How did educational reforms of the junior high school lead to development of the middle school?
What is the influence of family composition on children’s conformity to the student role?
What kind of education do students receive in a church-sponsored Christian high school?
What is the extent of drug use among students in a suburban high school?

1. How would you operationally defi ne science achievement?
2. The following is an abstract from the journal Exceptional
Children (O’Connor, White, & Swanson, 2007):
Consider the following elements in this study:
(1) poor readers, (2) students in grades 2
and 4, (3) students with and without learning disabilities,
(4) reading aloud with an
adult listener or not, (5) repeated or continuous reading
conditions, (6) reading fl uency
growth, and (7) reading comprehension.
a. Which are categorical independent
variables?
b. Which are continuous independent
variables?
c. Which are categorical dependent
variables?
d. Which are continuous dependent
variables?
e. What independent variable did the
researchers actively manipulate?
f. What was the population of interest?

Consider the following characteristics of a
research study. Indicate whether each one
is most likely (1) quantitative research or
(2) qualitative research.
a. Researcher is objective and detached
from participants
b. Develops hypotheses after data have
been collected
c. Uses induction to analyze data
d. Uses large representative samples of
individuals
e. Uses narrative description

The following is an abstract taken from
an article in The Clearing House (Springer,
Pugalee, & Algozzine, 2007):
In U.S. schools, students must pass statewide competency
tests to graduate from high
school. In this article, the authors summarize
the development and testing of a program
implemented to improve the skills of students
failing to “make the grade” on these highstakes tests.
District personnel randomly
assigned 28 students who previously failed
the math test to participate in an experimental (Arizona
Instrument to Measure Standards
[AIMS]) or to a control math class. The AIMS
group used a computerized tool to generate multiple-choice
problems for students
to practice the content of the state’s competency test.
Eight AIMS students (57 percent)
and two control students (14 percent) passed
the retest. The outcomes offer promise for
schools looking for evidence-based solutions
to problems related to increasing numbers of
students experiencing diffi culties with highstakes
assessments.
a. What was the independent variable in
this study?
b. What was the dependent variable?
c. What was the population?