ERIC Number: EJ785822
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 10
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0013-189X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Perspectives on Evidence-Based Research in Education--What Works? Issues in Synthesizing Educational Program Evaluations
Slavin, Robert E.
Educational Researcher, v37 n1 p5-14 2008
Syntheses of research on educational programs have taken on increasing policy importance. Procedures for performing such syntheses must therefore produce reliable, unbiased, and meaningful information on the strength of evidence behind each program. Because evaluations of any given program are few in number, syntheses of program evaluations must focus on minimizing bias in reviews of each study. This article discusses key issues in the conduct of program evaluation syntheses: requirements for research design, sample size, adjustments for pretest differences, duration, and use of unbiased outcome measures. It also discusses the need to balance factors such as research designs, effect sizes, and numbers of studies in rating the overall strength of evidence supporting each program. (Contains 1 table.)
Descriptors: Research Design, Program Evaluation, Effect Size, Synthesis, Sample Size, Meta Analysis, Pretests Posttests
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
IES Funded: Yes
Grant or Contract Numbers: R305A040082
Author Affiliations: N/A