The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of four different models (bifactor, CTC(M-1), CTCU and unidimensional) as to optimal model selection when the wording effect associated with negatively worded items was present. A Monte Carlo simulation study was conducted to compare model-data fit and accuracy in parameter estimates…

To conduct a multilevel meta-analysis of multiple single-case experimental design (SCED) studies, the individual participant data (IPD) can be analyzed in one or two stages. In the one-stage approach, a multilevel model is estimated based on the raw data. In the two-stage approach, an effect size is calculated for each participant and these effect…

This study aims to investigate the trustworthiness of empirical research published in distance education (DE) journals, an area that has yet to be systematically explored. The review covers 238 empirical studies which were based on primary data and published in 2021 in eight DE journals listed in Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) or Emerging…

This essay defines and critiques "methodocentrism", the belief that predetermined research methods are the determining factor in the validity and importance of educational research. By examining research in science studies and posthumanism, the authors explain how this methodocentrism disenables research from taking account of problems…

This is the decade of data analytics and big data, but not everyone agrees with the definition of big data. Some researchers see it as the future of data analysis, while others consider it as hype and foresee its demise in the near future. No matter how it is defined, big data for the time being is having its glory moment. The most important…

This conversation explores emerging debates concerning teaching to and about marginalized populations often left out of "representative" data sets. Based on our experiences studying, teaching, and belonging to some of these unrepresented populations, we outline some strategies sociologists may use to transform the limitations of data…

In recent years, more and more researchers in science education have been turning to the practice of combining qualitative and quantitative methods in the same study. This approach of using mixed methods creates possibilities to study the various issues that science educators encounter in more depth. In this content analysis, I evaluated 18…

In the wake of the crisis of representation, the qualitative approaches have gained momentum within the social sciences. This crisis has lead to a widespread awareness about the need to incorporate the subject's understanding in the research design. Yet, the validity of qualitative accounts is still regarded as a function of its representative…

Professors Richard J. Murnane and John B. Willett set out to capitalize on recent developments in education data and methodology by attempting to answer the following questions: How can new methods and data be applied most effectively in educational and social science research? What kinds of research designs are most appropriate? What kinds of…

Written for pre- and in-service educators, this "Third Edition" of Craig A. Mertler's "Action Research: Improving Schools and Empowering Educators" introduces the process of conducting one's own classroom- or school-based action research in conjunction with everyday instructional practices and activities. The text provides educators with the…

This paper was produced as an added resource for the report "Outcomes from the Productivity Places Program 2009." "Outcomes from the Productivity Places Program 2009" presents information about the outcomes of students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) under the Productivity Places Program (PPP)…

The purpose of this Guide is to advise researchers, policymakers, and others on when it is possible to conduct a high-quality randomized controlled trial in education at reduced cost. Well-designed randomized controlled trials are recognized as the gold standard for evaluating the effectiveness of an intervention (i.e., program or practice) in…

Since meta-analysis was described in 1976 (Glass) as the application of familiar experimental methods to the integration of available research, at least five coherent approaches to meta-analysis have appeared in common use. These approaches can be divided into two broad groups. In the first group (including procedures by Robert Rosenthal, Larry…

One of a series of sixteen knowledge transformation papers, this paper examines the advantages and disadvantages of longitudinal studies as a method for evaluating vocational programs. First, longitudinal methods are defined for the differences between them and cross-sectional studies are established. The results of a literature search conducted…

Points out inadequacies in the numeric data set that accompanied the Supplementary Empirical Teaching Units in Political Science (SETUPS) monograph on the U.S. Supreme Court. Suggests that the data not be used for research purposes but notes they may be utilized as a teaching tool in discussing quantitative methods of analysis relative to Supreme…