WGU C224 RESEARCH FOUNDATIONS
STUDY GUIDE 2026 COMPREHENSIVE
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
CORRECT ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
RATIONALES OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
(OA) EXAM PREPARATION
QUANTITATIVE, QUALITATIVE, MIXED
METHODS, ACTION RESEARCH,
MEASUREMENT AND ASSESSMENT |
GRADE A+ REVIEW
research literature - CORRECT ANSWER -is the set of published research
studies on a particular topic
AERA - CORRECT ANSWER -American Educational Research Association -
largest and most prestigious research association in the field of education
abstract - CORRECT ANSWER -a brief summary of what is included in the
article.
provides a concise breakdown of article goals, methods, and tentative
results researchers choose to include
understanding - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
,attempting to learn about and generate ideas about specific and unique
phenomena
How to determine if understanding was the objective of a research study -
CORRECT ANSWER -ask yourself these questions:
1. were the researchers studying a phenomenon or some aspect of a
phenomenon about WHICH LITTLE WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN?
2. Did the researchers choose to study a phenomenon WITHOUT ANY
PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS?
3. Were the researchers trying to "DISCOVER" IMPORTANT FACTORS or
"generate" new ideas for further research?
description - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
an attempt to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon.
one of the most basic activities in research.
ex. observing a phenomenon and recording what one sees
descriptive research - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
,provide an accurate description or picture of the status or characteristics of
a situation or phenomenon.
**focus is not specifically on searching out cause-and-effect relationships,
but rather on relating the variables that exist in a given situation and any
relevant relationships that exist among them.
Steps in Descriptive Research - CORRECT ANSWER -1. randomly select a
sample from a defined population.
2. determine the sample characteristics
3. infer the characteristics of the population based on the sample
explanation - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
how and why a phenomenon operates as it does
**the objective of the majority of educational research is explanation**
How to determine if Explanation is the primary objective of a research
study - CORRECT ANSWER -ask yourself these questions:
1. Were the researchers trying to DEVELOP A THEORY about a
phenomenon to explain how and why it operates as it does?
, 2. Were the researchers trying to explain how phenomena operate by
IDENTIFYING CAUSE-AND-EFFECT relationships?
explanatory research - CORRECT ANSWER -testing hypotheses and theories
that explain the functions of a phenomenon in detail
**researcher is focused on establishing clear and defensible evidence for
cause-and-effect relationships.
***experimental research is the strongest form of explanatory research for
providing evidence of cause and effect.
prediction - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
forecast a phenomenon, wherein there is an association made between two
points in time.
**when researchers determine cause-and-effect operations, they can use
this information to form predictions
predictive research - CORRECT ANSWER -predict the future of one or more
dependent (or criterion) variables on the basis of one or more independent
(or predictor) variables.
STUDY GUIDE 2026 COMPREHENSIVE
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
CORRECT ANSWERS WITH DETAILED
RATIONALES OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT
(OA) EXAM PREPARATION
QUANTITATIVE, QUALITATIVE, MIXED
METHODS, ACTION RESEARCH,
MEASUREMENT AND ASSESSMENT |
GRADE A+ REVIEW
research literature - CORRECT ANSWER -is the set of published research
studies on a particular topic
AERA - CORRECT ANSWER -American Educational Research Association -
largest and most prestigious research association in the field of education
abstract - CORRECT ANSWER -a brief summary of what is included in the
article.
provides a concise breakdown of article goals, methods, and tentative
results researchers choose to include
understanding - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
,attempting to learn about and generate ideas about specific and unique
phenomena
How to determine if understanding was the objective of a research study -
CORRECT ANSWER -ask yourself these questions:
1. were the researchers studying a phenomenon or some aspect of a
phenomenon about WHICH LITTLE WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN?
2. Did the researchers choose to study a phenomenon WITHOUT ANY
PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS?
3. Were the researchers trying to "DISCOVER" IMPORTANT FACTORS or
"generate" new ideas for further research?
description - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
an attempt to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon.
one of the most basic activities in research.
ex. observing a phenomenon and recording what one sees
descriptive research - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
,provide an accurate description or picture of the status or characteristics of
a situation or phenomenon.
**focus is not specifically on searching out cause-and-effect relationships,
but rather on relating the variables that exist in a given situation and any
relevant relationships that exist among them.
Steps in Descriptive Research - CORRECT ANSWER -1. randomly select a
sample from a defined population.
2. determine the sample characteristics
3. infer the characteristics of the population based on the sample
explanation - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
how and why a phenomenon operates as it does
**the objective of the majority of educational research is explanation**
How to determine if Explanation is the primary objective of a research
study - CORRECT ANSWER -ask yourself these questions:
1. Were the researchers trying to DEVELOP A THEORY about a
phenomenon to explain how and why it operates as it does?
, 2. Were the researchers trying to explain how phenomena operate by
IDENTIFYING CAUSE-AND-EFFECT relationships?
explanatory research - CORRECT ANSWER -testing hypotheses and theories
that explain the functions of a phenomenon in detail
**researcher is focused on establishing clear and defensible evidence for
cause-and-effect relationships.
***experimental research is the strongest form of explanatory research for
providing evidence of cause and effect.
prediction - CORRECT ANSWER -(type of research objective)
forecast a phenomenon, wherein there is an association made between two
points in time.
**when researchers determine cause-and-effect operations, they can use
this information to form predictions
predictive research - CORRECT ANSWER -predict the future of one or more
dependent (or criterion) variables on the basis of one or more independent
(or predictor) variables.
