Types of research design

Of the following, which is most likely a survey research topic?

• Is there a gender difference in science achievement on The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)?

• Do parents believe that the new middle school science club is worth the funds the district spent?

• What are the experience of ten-year-old students at the summer science day camp held at the university?

• Is there a relationship between science self-efficacy and students’ science grades in eleventh grade?

Survey data are often collected via which of the following?

• standardized tests.

• ability measures.

• questionnaires.

• observations.

Of the following, all are examples of difficulties faced by survey researchers as noted in your text EXCEPT

• surveys aren’t often used in educational research

• development of a questionnaire is difficult.

• response rates are often low.

• people don’t like to complete surveys.

Correlational studies are used primarily to

• examine relationships among variables.

• examine if differences between groups exist.

• determine causal relationships.

• determine if experimental treatments work.

Correlation studies must include

• two or more levels of independent variable.

• two or more variables and one group.

• three or more variables and two groups.

• one independent variable and two dependent variables

Of the following research topics, which is most likely to represent a correlation study?

• The mathematics activities found in a sixth-grade math class.

• The teaching philosophy of a new mathematics teacher.

• The predictive ability of mathematics grades in later math class enrollment

• The differences in mathematics grades based upon parents’ educational level.

Ex post facto research is a term generally used to describe ________ research.

• descriptive

• correlational

• causal-comparative

• experimental

One similarity between causal-comparative and correlational research is that both

• can determine causal events.

• can be treated as a type of descriptive research.

• attempt to establish causes.

• rely on the same research procedures.

Compared to all other types of research, experimental research

• requires greater number of participants.

• provides evidence concerning cause-effect relationships.

• measures dependent and independent variables.

• collects samples to generalize to populations.

In experimental studies, but NOT in other studies,

• the researcher manipulates the dependent variables.

• the researcher manipulates the independent variables.

• the researcher tries to eliminate the effects of extraneous variables.

• the researcher examines a priori differences between groups.