This dissertation is composed of projects on three aspects of gathering and learning from data in the social sciences: drawing representative samples, taking valid measurement, and making warranted inductive inferences. Chapter one studies the challenge of drawing representative human samples. It is well documented that most samples used by…

The evidence base for educational interventions for deaf students has been, and continues to be, called into question due to a lack of "gold standard" research available to support it. Yet the paucity of research in deaf education is not only in the volume of research that meets rigorous standards but also in its lack of attention to and…

Structural equation modelling (SEM) is a method for analysis of multivariate data from both non-experimental and experimental research. The method combines a structural model linking latent variables and a measurement model linking observed variables with latent variables. Its use in social science and educational research has grown since the…

This guide is designed to help researchers make sure that their research reports include enough information about study measures so that readers can assess the quality of the study's methods and results. The guide also provides examples of write-ups about measures and suggests resources for learning more about these topics. The guide assumes…

A strong base of research is needed to guide investments in teacher professional development (PD). This article considers the status of research on PD and articulates a particular direction for future work. Little is known about whether PD can have a positive impact on achievement when a program is delivered across a range of typical settings and…

Educational assessment and, more broadly, educational research in the United States have entered into an era characterized by a dramatic increase in the prevalence and importance of test score use in accountability systems. This volume covers a selection of contemporary issues about testing science and practice that impact the nation's public…

Multivariate methods are being used with increasing frequency in educational research because these methods control "experimentwise" error rate inflation, and because the methods best honor the nature of the reality to which the researcher wishes to generalize. This paper: explains the basic logic of canonical analysis; illustrates that…

Test reliability is a concept central to classical test theory and it is commonly stated as a requirement that a test attain a certain level of reliability before it be considered of sufficient quality for practical use. This article discusses the role of reliability in item response theory, and in particular the role of reliability in contexts…

This book is intended for a one-semester or one-term course in educational research. It is designed to enable students to become intelligent consumers of educational research and to introduce its basic principles to those who eventually may be involved in research in their work. The chapters are: (1) "Introduction to Research in Education"; (2)…

The purpose of this study was to empirically determine the effects of quantified violations of the underlying assumptions of parametric statistical tests commonly used in educational research, namely the correlation coefficient (r) and the t test. The effects of heterogeneity of variance, nonnormality, and nonlinear transformations of scales were…

Quantitative educational research with ethnic minorities has a long history, characterized by assumptions that are still operative, such as the assumption that the white male is the standard against which other groups should be compared. It has also been assumed that assessment instruments are applicable across all groups, and that sources of…

Appendix A, "Data Analysis When Students Change from Smaller to Larger Schools between the Pre-test and Post-test of the First Year," discusses a methodological problem involved in planning the approximate number of questionnaires to be administered in program. Appendix B, "Estimates of Sample Sizes and Data Collection Costs," includes five…

Three common methodological problems in the analysis of observational data include: (1) failure to base degrees of freedom for the analysis on the appropriate sampling unit; (2) the validity of the design and data are inconsistent with the generalizations reached; (3) the statistic used to calculate coder reliability is often inappropriate and…

This paper examines how various equating methods are affected by: (1) sampling error; (2) sample characteristics; and (3) characteristics of anchor test items. It reviews empirical studies that investigated the invariance of equating transformations, and it discusses empirical and simulation studies that focus on how the properties of anchor tests…

This publication is primarily designed for educational practitioners who possess little or no training in conducting mail surveys or have not kept current on the present state of the art of survey methods and techniques. It is also intended to be a checking and comparing aid to ensure that important research considerations are taken into account.…