Not knowing the population size is a common problem in data-limited contexts. Drawing on work in Sierra Leone, this short take outlines a four-step solution to this problem: (1) estimate the population size using expert interviews; (2) verify estimates using interviews with participants sampled; (3) triangulate using secondary data; and (4)…

The authors discuss the use of surveys for collecting data from a population sample and emphasise the importance of being careful with the language of data collection. [For "The Data Files 5: Graphs for Exploring Relationships," see EJ1355504.]

Purpose: This tutorial outlines an approach for best practices for speech-language pathology assistants (SLPAs) to collect data and document services. The tutorial outlines methods for developing accurate and effective data collection skills and provides instructions and tools for collecting various types of data. The authors discuss the…

While many instructors are aware of the "Literary Digest" 1936 poll as an example of biased sampling methods, this article details potential further explorations for the "Digest's" 1924-1936 quadrennial U.S. presidential election polls. Potential activities range from lessons in data acquisition, cleaning, and validation, to…

Higher education professionals often are tasked with providing evidence to stakeholders that programs, services, and practices implemented on their campuses contribute to student success. Furthermore, in the absence of a solid base of evidence related to effective practices, higher education researchers and practitioners are left questioning what…

The EdSurvey package helps users download, explore variables in, extract data from, and run analyses on large-scale assessment data. The analysis functions in EdSurvey account for the use of plausible values for test scores, survey sampling weights, and their associated variance estimator. We describe the capabilities of the package in the context…

Background: Within the context of the Special Interest Research Group (SIRG) on Persons with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD), researchers often discuss the methodological problems and challenges they are confronted with. The aim of the current article was to give an overview of these challenges. Methods: The challenges are…

Sample representativeness is an important piece to consider when evaluating the quality of a screening assessment. If you are trying to determine whether or not the screening tool accurately measures children's skills, you want to ensure that the sample that is used to validate the tool is representative of your population of interest.

CCNetwork, in many cases, begins their work by assessing client needs--speaking with clients, examining current evidence and data, reviewing documents, and identifying patterns across those. Needs-sensing methods are important inputs to helping shape and prioritize what CCNetwork does. Landscape scans take these efforts a bit further by helping to…

Although the use of real-world data sets is encouraged when teaching statistics, it can be difficult for instructors to find meaningful data for introducing students to univariate descriptive statistics such as the mean, median, and percentiles. The recent lead contamination of the water supply in Flint, Michigan, provides a real-life data set…

The PPIC Statewide Survey was inaugurated in 1998 to provide a way for Californians to express their views on important public policy issues. The survey provides timely, relevant, nonpartisan information on Californians' political, social, and economic opinions. It seeks to inform and improve state policymaking, raise awareness, and encourage…

Although educational researchers will acknowledge that they have a moral imperative to avoid harming their participants whilst carrying out research, it does not necessarily mean that they can describe the nature of what this harm might be or how it can be recognised and so avoided. This is particularly important for those working with vulnerable…

Across all social science disciplines, but in particular public administration, there is a shared concern about the costs of using traditional random samples to generate data, and its impact on researchers' ability to engage in "quality" research. As a result of these costs, more academics, practitioners, and students are turning to…

The body of research in the field of postsecondary education and disability is wide ranging and continues to evolve. Specifically, the literature corpus includes contributions from a range of professions and a considerable number of journals. This breadth of diversity in perspective presents significant advantages; however, it also presents…

We discuss methods that can improve response rates in large-scale cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. Regardless of the specific study topic, sample member population, or method of contact, data collections should be designed with certain core principles in mind: legitimizing the study to prospective participants; presenting study…