Purpose of the Study: Missing data are a common problem encountered while implementing measurement instruments. Yet the extent to which reliability, validity, average discrimination and difficulty of the test results are affected by the missing data has not been studied much. Since it is inevitable that missing data have an impact on the…

Data analysis is one of the most important, yet least understood, stages of the qualitative research process. Through rigorous analysis, data can illuminate the complexity of human behavior, inform interventions, and give voice to people's lived experiences. While significant progress has been made in advancing the rigor of qualitative analysis,…

Staff members at Sesame Workshop asked us to conduct a meta-analysis of their proprietary evaluation research on the effects of viewing international versions of "Sesame Street." Given global crises in early childhood education, and given the wide reach of "Sesame Street," it was of considerable interest to us whether there…

A multi-disciplinary academic unit at a Canadian university completed an evaluation of course syllabi used in its undergraduate programmes over the previous five years. This paper examines the reasons for the evaluation, the processes employed to collect and analyse the data, and how the results will be incorporated into the next steps of the…

This study aims to present high school students' perception of "English" through the impressions and images and the effect of these perceptions on their motivation in learning English. This qualitative study is based on the data about students' metaphors and the focus group interview to determine their effect on the students' motivation.…

A dissertation study looking at preservice teachers' alternative conceptions in earth science was completed by one of the authors. The data used for this study from the dissertation were a series of eleven interviews. (Purpose) The authors of this manuscript wanted to provide more in-depth analysis of these interviews, specifically to provide a…

Listening to young children's voices is an issue with increasing relevance for many researchers in the field of early childhood research. At the same time, teachers and researchers are faced with challenges to provide children with possibilities to express their notions, and to find ways of comprehending children's voices. In our research we aim…

In CSCL research, collaboration through chat has primarily been studied in dyadic settings. This article discusses three issues that emerged during the development of a multi-dimensional coding procedure for small-group chat communication: (a) the unit of analysis and unit fragmentation, (b) the reconstruction of the response structure and (c)…

CSCL research has given rise to a plethora of analysis methods, all with specific analysis goals, units of analysis, and for specific types of data (chat, threaded discussions, etc.). This article describes some challenges of CSCL-analysis. The development of an analysis method for negotiation processes in multidisciplinary teams serves as an…

Counselors conducting survey research have many item format options to contemplate. This study examined midpoint selection and the effect on reliability of including or excluding midpoint options, and using both positively and negatively worded items. Findings indicate that reliability can be affected by both midpoint options and reverse coding.…

Presents general principles for cleaning data sets. Suggests techniques: check for column shifts, data completeness, marginal frequencies, and selected cross-tabulations; examines a sample of cases. Gives strategies for preventing data processing errors. (SK)

Guidelines are offered that make it more likely that high-quality information will be extracted and coded from primary research reports in meta-analyses. It is also noted that the methodology of meta-analysis results in pressure to change the type of information that appears in primary research reports. (SLD)