The Research Methods Skills Assessment (RMSA) was created to measure psychology majors' statistics knowledge and skills. The American Psychological Association's Guidelines for the Undergraduate Major in Psychology (APA, 2007, 2013) served as a framework for development. Results from a Rasch analysis with data from n = 330 undergraduates showed…

In this article, I provide answers to the questions posed by Will Shadish about the history and development of the Schmidt-Hunter methods of meta-analysis. In the 1970s, I headed a research program on personnel selection at the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM). After our research showed that validity studies have low statistical power, OPM…

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is one of the most popular multivariate statistical techniques in Turkish educational research. This study elaborates the SEM procedures employed by 75 educational research articles which were published from 2010 to 2015 in Turkey. After documenting and coding 75 academic papers, categorical frequencies and…

The criterion-related validity of divergent thinking (DT) tests has been questioned because of relatively low correlations between DT test scores and creative performance. A possible inhibiting factor in previous correlations--heterogeneity of the sample--has been ignored. If groups with different DT profiles are involved in this line of research,…

The main aim of this study is to determine whether a significant difference exits among data collection with printed materials and with smart phones. The research was conducted with 282 teacher candidates who take pedagogical formation training. Three data collection tools were used throughout the study. As the results of the current research, no…

In this commentary, we offer a set of visual tools that can assist education researchers, especially those in the field of mathematics, in developing cohesiveness from a mixed methods perspective, commencing at a study's research questions and literature review, through its data collection and analysis, and finally to its results. This expounds…

Critically examining common statistical approaches and their strengths and weaknesses is an important step in advancing recreation and leisure sciences. To continue this critical examination and to inform methodological decision making, this study compared three approaches to determine how alternative approaches may result in contradictory…

Most discipline-based education researchers (DBERs) were formally trained in the methods of scientific disciplines such as biology, chemistry, and physics, rather than social science disciplines such as psychology and education. As a result, DBERs may have never taken specific courses in the social science research methodology--either quantitative…

In this paper, the writer discusses the philosophical underpinnings of the two dominant research methods in social sciences; quantitative and qualitative paradigms. The natures of two paradigms are quite different so this leads many researchers to discuss these issues in a comparative way. This paper tackles the knowledge and understanding of…

Programs supported by the Carl D. Perkins Act of 2006 are required to operate under the state or national content standards, and are expected to carry out evaluation procedures that address accountability. The Indiana high school course, "Advanced Life Science: Foods" ("ALS: Foods") operates under the auspices of the Perkins…

After a brief summary of evidence for the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) as a measure of self-actualization, this article presents such a systematic summary for the inner-direction and time-competence scales; it should prove valuable for decision making. (Author)

Presents procedures for reducing attrition in clinical research and provides a case study for examination by researchers. Includes lists of preventative strategies and statistical methodologies to reduce attrition and bias. Argues that early planning for attrition by adjusting sample sizes is a scientifically sound approach to clinical research…

A method for examining invariance in validity of multiple-component instruments in repeated measure designs is outlined. The approach is developed within the framework of covariance structure modeling and is applicable for purposes of ascertaining temporal stability in scale validity. In addition, the procedure provides a range of plausible values…

Describes the appropriate control of experiment-wise error rates and the researcher's role in making decisions to control for Type 1 errors. Issues related to level of significance, one- versus two-tailed tests, and the use of multivariate statistics are included. (Author/CT)

Outlines the purposes of statistical analysis and types of research questions that can be answered. Defines data types as a guide for choosing statistical tools. Describes a hypothetical research study on teaching computer software to illustrate the use of analytical tools. (SK)