As reporting of effect sizes in evaluation studies has proliferated, researchers and consumers of research need tools for interpreting or benchmarking the magnitude of those effect sizes that are relevant to the intervention, target population, and outcome measure being considered. Similarly, researchers planning education studies with social and…

This book offers practical guidance for understanding and implementing APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) and Meta-Analysis Reporting Standards (MARS) for quantitative research. These standards provide the essential information researchers need to report, including detailed accounts of the methods they followed, data results and…

As evidence-based reform becomes increasingly important in educational policy, it is becoming essential to understand how research design might contribute to reported effect sizes in experiments evaluating educational programs. The purpose of this study was to examine how methodological features such as types of publication, sample sizes, and…

This succinct and jargon-free introduction to effect sizes gives students and researchers the tools they need to interpret the practical significance of their results. Using a class-tested approach that includes numerous examples and step-by-step exercises, it introduces and explains three of the most important issues relating to the practical…

The article describes procedures employed for the quantitative synthesis of single-subject research literature in special education. The need for objective, systematic review procedures is noted; previous approaches are reviewed; and the authors' approach (which makes use of overlapping data across phases as an outcome metric) is outlined.…

An evaluation of the "Percentage of Nonoverlapping Data" approach for quantifying outcomes of single-subject research in special education reveals that it is potentially too sensitive to atypical baseline data, not powerful enough to discriminate important treatment differences, and adversely affected by even subtle trends in the data.…

The response to a critique of a proposed method of quantifying outcomes of single-subject research in special education suggests that the alternative procedure proposed has theoretical but not practical merit due to the limited number of observations typically found in single-subject baselines. (Author/DB)

The method of using the percentage of nonoverlapping data points to summarize and synthesize single-subject research in special education was applied to six specific studies. The method was found lacking for such reasons as its failure to identify patterns across time or vital idiosyncrasies in behavior within and across studies. (Author/DB)

The response to a critique of a proposed method of quantitatively synthesizing single subject research in special education reaffirms the authors' view that narrative review procedures are of limited utility without objective standards for evaluating study outcomes. (DB)

The usefulness of meta-analysis in summarizing domains of primary research has led to widespread use of the techniques. Often, however, the researcher will have several options when cumulating empirical studies and readers will have questions regarding judgment calls made during a meta-analysis. In these cases, it is helpful to consult the primary…

Several developments in the use of the new method of meta-analysis give cause for optimism. First, different meta-analysts are doing work in the same areas, leading to increased confidence in meta-analytic results. Second, meta-analysts are beginning to include raw data in their reports, which helps readers pinpoint the exact studies that lead to…

Discussion of the need for systematic methods for summarizing single-participant research describes various approaches for quantitative synthesis and reviews conclusions of completed synthesis efforts. The issue of whether outcomes of single-participant research can be represented by a single common metric is addressed with the recommendation that…

Formulas for estimating cross-validated hit-rates, the number of correct classifications into an a priori grouping structure, were examined. The following mathematical formulas were compared: McLachlan's formula estimator, two Snappin and Knoke smoothed formula estimators, and the analytic leave-one-out estimator. The R method was included as a…

An analysis of 41 recently published articles in the "American Journal on Mental Retardation" and the "Journal of Mental Deficiency Research" found a higher than expected probability of Type I research errors, suggesting that approximately 20 percent of the statistically significant results may be erroneous. (DB)

It is easy to observe that meta-analysis is quickly establishing itself as useful tool of the social sciences. Perusal of representative journals confirms that meta-analysis has been applied in various ways to diverse literatures. It is imperative, therefore, that reviewers, publishers, consumers, and critics of these reviews be best informed…