In this article, we argue that big data can offer new opportunities and roles for educational researchers. In the traditional model of evidence-gathering and interpretation in education, researchers are independent observers, who pre-emptively create instruments of measurement, and insert these into the educational process in specialized times and…

Use of "special" orthonormal mean contrasts and mean contrast variances can help educational researchers interpret a wide variety of repeated measures data. Most statistical packages allow educational researchers to test for differences across repeated measures using both the univariate mixed model F test and a multivariate test.…

Graphical methods for displaying data, as well as available computer software and hardware, are reviewed. The authors have emphasized the types of graphs which are most relevant to the needs of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and its readers. The following types of graphs are described: tabulations, stem-and-leaf displays,…

This book offers guidelines for action research, a process in which teachers experiment with various strategies at the classroom level. Action research is the process of systematically evaluating the consequences of educational decisions and adjusting practices to maximize effectiveness. Essentially the examination of one's own practice, it…

A live demonstration of how a typical set of educational data can be examined using quantitative statistical software was conducted. The topic of tutorial support was chosen. Setting up a hypothetical research scenario, the researcher created 300 cases from random data generation adjusted to correct obvious error. Each case represented a student…