WGU C224
# Term Definition
1 AERA American Educational Research Association
2 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Groups of individuals with common interests
inside AERA
3 Divisions and SIGs of AERA A: Administration, Organization, and Leadership
B. Curriculum Studies C: Learning and
Instruction D: Measurement and Research
Methodology E: Counseling and Human
Development F: History and Historiograph G:
Social Context of Education H: Research,
Evaluation, and Assessment in Schools I:
Education in the Professions J: Postsecondary
Education K: Teaching and Teacher Education L:
Educational Policy and Politics
4 Metacognition thinking about thinking Assess the task Evaluate
your strengths and weaknesses Plan an
approach Apply strategies and monitor
performance Reflect and adjust if needed
5 Reasons to study research Development of evaluation and critical thinking
skills. Help people understand research they
hear or see in media.
6 Objective of Educational Attempting to learn about and generate ideas
Research: about specific and unique phenomena.
7 (Explanatory Research) Ways to Were the researchers trying to develop a theory
determine if explanation is the about a phenomenon and explain why/how it
primary objective of research: operates as it does? Were the researchers trying
to explain how the phenomena operates by
identifying cause and effect relationships.
8 Experimental research the strongest form of Explanatory research for
providing evidence of cause and effect.
9 Exploratory Mode of Research Generate preliminary explanations or theories
about how and why something happens as it
does. Qualitative research studies.
,WGU C224
# Term Definition
10 Understanding is the objective of The study is about something about which little
a study if: was previously known. There were no
preconceived notions. Where they trying to
discover important factors or generate new
ideas?
11 Description Attempt to describe the characteristics of a
phenomenon.
12 Descriptive Research Provide an accurate description or picture of the
status or characteristics of a situation or
phenomenon. Used to learn about attitudes,
opinions, beliefs, behaviors, and demographics
of people.
13 Descriptive Research steps Randomly select a sample from a defined
population Determine the sample
characteristics Infer the characteristics of the
population based on the sample.
14 Prediction Seeks to forecast a phenomenon, wherein there
in an association made between two points in
time.
15 Predictive Research Studies Predict the future status of one or more
dependent (or criterion) variables on the basis
of one or more independent (or predictor)
variables.
16 Influence Attempting to apply research to make certain
outcomes occur.
17 Influence Objective Study Were the researchers applying research
knowledge to make something useful happen in
the world? Where the researchers checking a
‘demonstration program’ to see if it works in
practice
18 Objective of most social, improvement of the world or social betterment.
behavioral, and educational
research
,WGU C224
# Term Definition
19 Integration Consolidating insights from multiple
investigators, theories/perspectives, sets of
data, and methods in order to understand a
given entity of study.
20 Emic Perspective Insider perspective
21 Etic Perspective External, social scientific perspective
22 Not all research is equal. Some They are credible if several researchers in
are more defensible than others. different places get the same results. A single
research study can’t be the final word.
23 Abstract A brief summary of what is included in an article
24 Epistemology Known as the “theory of knowledge and its
justification.” It’s the studying of knowledge
itself- including its nature, process of
generation, how it is necessary, and the
standards that are used to judge its adequacy.
25 2 main sources of knowledge experience and reasoning
26 Main ideas derived from empiricism, rationalism, deductive reasoning,
experience and reasoning and inductive reasoning
27 Empiricism Idea that all knowledge comes from experience
28 Empirical statement A statement based on observation, experiment,
or experience.
29 Reasoning or Rationalism Philosophical idea that reason is the primary
source of knowledge.
30 Deductive reasoning Process of drawing a conclusion that is
essentially true if the underlying premises are
true.
, WGU C224
# Term Definition
31 Syllogism A form of deductive reasoning that includes a
major premise and a minor premise that are
assumed to be true. Ex: Major Premise: All
school teachers are mortal. Minor Premise: John
is a schoolteacher. Conclusion: Therefore, John
is mortal.
32 Inductive reasoning Foundational premises act as helpful but not
decisive reasons toward acceptance of a
conclusion. One is stating what is probably to
occur, not what will necessarily occur, thereby
opening themselves up to the risk of being
wrong.
33 Problem with inductive reasoning The future might not resemble the past; The
conclusions have not been proven to be true. It
provides statements of probability, not
certainty.
34 Science An approach to the generation of knowledge
holding empirical data in high regard and
follows certain norms and practices that
developed over time because of their
usefulness.
35 Educational Researchers study 3 Psychological factors, social psychological
factors related to educational factors, sociological factors.
issues
36 Psychological factors Examining characteristics of individuals and
individual-level phenomena. Example: Learning
disabilities
37 Social psychological factors Examining how individuals interact and relate to
one another and how groups and individuals
affect one another. Example: middle school
cliques
38 Sociological factors Examining how groups form and change:
documenting the characteristics of groups;
studying intergroup relations; and studying
group-level phenomena, such as cultural, social,
political, familial, and economic institutions.
Example: high school student government
relations.
# Term Definition
1 AERA American Educational Research Association
2 Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Groups of individuals with common interests
inside AERA
3 Divisions and SIGs of AERA A: Administration, Organization, and Leadership
B. Curriculum Studies C: Learning and
Instruction D: Measurement and Research
Methodology E: Counseling and Human
Development F: History and Historiograph G:
Social Context of Education H: Research,
Evaluation, and Assessment in Schools I:
Education in the Professions J: Postsecondary
Education K: Teaching and Teacher Education L:
Educational Policy and Politics
4 Metacognition thinking about thinking Assess the task Evaluate
your strengths and weaknesses Plan an
approach Apply strategies and monitor
performance Reflect and adjust if needed
5 Reasons to study research Development of evaluation and critical thinking
skills. Help people understand research they
hear or see in media.
6 Objective of Educational Attempting to learn about and generate ideas
Research: about specific and unique phenomena.
7 (Explanatory Research) Ways to Were the researchers trying to develop a theory
determine if explanation is the about a phenomenon and explain why/how it
primary objective of research: operates as it does? Were the researchers trying
to explain how the phenomena operates by
identifying cause and effect relationships.
8 Experimental research the strongest form of Explanatory research for
providing evidence of cause and effect.
9 Exploratory Mode of Research Generate preliminary explanations or theories
about how and why something happens as it
does. Qualitative research studies.
,WGU C224
# Term Definition
10 Understanding is the objective of The study is about something about which little
a study if: was previously known. There were no
preconceived notions. Where they trying to
discover important factors or generate new
ideas?
11 Description Attempt to describe the characteristics of a
phenomenon.
12 Descriptive Research Provide an accurate description or picture of the
status or characteristics of a situation or
phenomenon. Used to learn about attitudes,
opinions, beliefs, behaviors, and demographics
of people.
13 Descriptive Research steps Randomly select a sample from a defined
population Determine the sample
characteristics Infer the characteristics of the
population based on the sample.
14 Prediction Seeks to forecast a phenomenon, wherein there
in an association made between two points in
time.
15 Predictive Research Studies Predict the future status of one or more
dependent (or criterion) variables on the basis
of one or more independent (or predictor)
variables.
16 Influence Attempting to apply research to make certain
outcomes occur.
17 Influence Objective Study Were the researchers applying research
knowledge to make something useful happen in
the world? Where the researchers checking a
‘demonstration program’ to see if it works in
practice
18 Objective of most social, improvement of the world or social betterment.
behavioral, and educational
research
,WGU C224
# Term Definition
19 Integration Consolidating insights from multiple
investigators, theories/perspectives, sets of
data, and methods in order to understand a
given entity of study.
20 Emic Perspective Insider perspective
21 Etic Perspective External, social scientific perspective
22 Not all research is equal. Some They are credible if several researchers in
are more defensible than others. different places get the same results. A single
research study can’t be the final word.
23 Abstract A brief summary of what is included in an article
24 Epistemology Known as the “theory of knowledge and its
justification.” It’s the studying of knowledge
itself- including its nature, process of
generation, how it is necessary, and the
standards that are used to judge its adequacy.
25 2 main sources of knowledge experience and reasoning
26 Main ideas derived from empiricism, rationalism, deductive reasoning,
experience and reasoning and inductive reasoning
27 Empiricism Idea that all knowledge comes from experience
28 Empirical statement A statement based on observation, experiment,
or experience.
29 Reasoning or Rationalism Philosophical idea that reason is the primary
source of knowledge.
30 Deductive reasoning Process of drawing a conclusion that is
essentially true if the underlying premises are
true.
, WGU C224
# Term Definition
31 Syllogism A form of deductive reasoning that includes a
major premise and a minor premise that are
assumed to be true. Ex: Major Premise: All
school teachers are mortal. Minor Premise: John
is a schoolteacher. Conclusion: Therefore, John
is mortal.
32 Inductive reasoning Foundational premises act as helpful but not
decisive reasons toward acceptance of a
conclusion. One is stating what is probably to
occur, not what will necessarily occur, thereby
opening themselves up to the risk of being
wrong.
33 Problem with inductive reasoning The future might not resemble the past; The
conclusions have not been proven to be true. It
provides statements of probability, not
certainty.
34 Science An approach to the generation of knowledge
holding empirical data in high regard and
follows certain norms and practices that
developed over time because of their
usefulness.
35 Educational Researchers study 3 Psychological factors, social psychological
factors related to educational factors, sociological factors.
issues
36 Psychological factors Examining characteristics of individuals and
individual-level phenomena. Example: Learning
disabilities
37 Social psychological factors Examining how individuals interact and relate to
one another and how groups and individuals
affect one another. Example: middle school
cliques
38 Sociological factors Examining how groups form and change:
documenting the characteristics of groups;
studying intergroup relations; and studying
group-level phenomena, such as cultural, social,
political, familial, and economic institutions.
Example: high school student government
relations.
