C224 WGU Study Guide Research Foundations Exam

A teacher has noticed that students in her math class are not performing well on her end of semester exam. She suspects that their lack of interest in math is affecting their ability to perform. She decides to integrate computerized math games into her curriculum and see if it has an impact on the end of semester exam scores. What is the objective of this research project? - ANS To solve a local problem in her classroom;What outcome of educational research is used to support a theory or concept? - ANS Evidence;A researcher hypothesizes that kindergarten students can increase vocabulary retention by drawing pictures of new words learned. Which research should be used to conduct this study? - ANS Basic research;4. A researcher hypothesizes that master's prepared business administration graduates who are male get hired faster and are paid a higher salary than their female counterparts. Which research will be used to conduct this study? - ANS Orientational research;Carefully aligned strategies were developed for a reading intervention program after analyzing data from a series of surveys and experiments. At the conclusion of the program, 64% of participants were reported reading at or above grade level. Which kind of research was implemented in this scenario? - ANS Evaluation research;What is the purpose of evidence in research? - ANS Support theories;What is the purpose of a hypothesis in a quantitative study? - ANS It provides an educated guess about the relationship between variables studied.;Which major research approach is based on the assumption that objective truths exist in the world and can be discovered? - ANS Quantitative;What are quantitative researchers primarily interested in examining? - ANS Hypotheses;What is one strength of quantitative research? - ANS Quantitative research can be used to test and validate existing theories.;Researchers seeking to eliminate spider phobias among young children conducted a study in which each participant was presented with a live spider. Group A participants were asked to describe their emotional response to the spider. Group B participants were asked to describe the room they were in. All participants rated their fear of the spider on a scale from 1 to 100. What is the dependent variable in this study? - ANS The fear rating;Researchers who were studying stress found that teenagers with high stress also had some negative physical symptoms. Symptoms included a suppressed immune system and increased blood pressure. Which statement represents the relationship between these variables? - ANS Stress is positively correlated with physical ailments.;As one variable is manipulated, it directly brings about change in a second variable. What is the variable called that is being manipulated? - ANS Independent variable;A researcher wanted to know if students in rural areas had different study skills than students in urban areas. She gave a chapter about "life in the city" to 50 urban and 50 rural students and asked them to study it. A week later, she gave them all a test to see how much they had learned. What is a critical limitation of this quantitative study? - ANS The content of the chapter would be more familiar to one group than the other.;Which method of data collection would qualitative researchers be likely to use? - ANS Observations in natural environments;A researcher has formulated specific research questions about one school's high absenteeism among its freshman student population. The researcher plans to conduct in-depth analyses of this population using multiple sources of data. Which theoretical framework is this researcher using? - ANS Case study;A qualitative researcher wants to collect data on a phenomenon and then develop a theory that describes the data. Which research design should this researcher choose? - ANS Grounded theory;What is one strength of qualitative research? - ANS The research can be conducted in a natural setting.;Which assumption about the nature of knowledge characterizes qualitative research? - ANS It is personal;What is one limitation of qualitative research? - ANS Researcher's biases can easily influence results for this approach.;Which goal indicates a developmental purpose for choosing a mixed-method design? - ANS The researcher wants to describe a phenomenon in detail, then use the descriptions to construct a survey.;What impact does the time orientation criterion have on the design of mixed methods research? - ANS It involves the decision of whether to conduct the quantitative and qualitative components concurrently or sequentially.;What is one reason for choosing a mixed-methods design over a qualitative or quantitative design? - ANS Mixed-methods designs can produce more integrated knowledge.;Compared to the other major research approaches, what is the main strength of mixed methods research? - ANS It produces integrated knowledge that informs theory and practice.;Which research method has the strength of being able to include words, pictures, and narrative to add meaning to numbers? - ANS Mixed methods;Which assumption characterizes action research? - ANS Theory and research can be integrated with practice.;Which research approach views research with the attitude of being both a practitioner and a researcher? - ANS Action;A community organization that offers English language classes to non-native speakers wants to employ action research to determine whether adding multimedia learning options to its offerings would be beneficial. Which purpose of action research is served by reflecting on the students' feedback on using multimedia learning options? - ANS It enables the researchers to improve the learning experience based on the students' first use of the multimedia options.;What is one strength of action research? - ANS It can be conducted by local practitioners.;Research Question: How do minority students experience the science curriculum, both in terms of achievement and perceptions of quality and enjoyment? Which research method would be used to answer this research question? - ANS Mixed methods;A school superintendent wants to understand the popular viewpoint about recent changes in school policy. A qualitative research study is conducted using unstructured interview techniques to gather parental opinions. What makes a qualitative approach more appropriate to use in this scenario than a quantitative approach? - ANS A qualitative approach can lead to the generation of new theories from unexpected findings.;Which phase of the action research cycle determines who does what and when? - ANS Plan;To obtain results that are defensible and trustworthy, what should action researchers do? - ANS Gather and keep track of evidence of successful and effective interventions;Which research activity is occurring when a researcher assigns numerical scores to achievement tests by adding up the total number of correct answers? - ANS Measurement;Which term refers to the accuracy of the inferences, interpretations, or actions that are based on test scores? - ANS Validity;A teacher asks students to rate from 1-5 how much they like a particular playground activity. They respond from strongly dislike to strongly love. She then asks them how many days a week they do the activity, 0, 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, more than 5. Which statement describes the scales used? - ANS An interval scale shows the equal distance between responses and a ratio scale shows the frequency of the responses;Which type of validity refers to the trustworthiness of the portrayal of study participants' perspectives and meanings in qualitative research? - ANS Interpretive validity;A mixed methods researcher makes data transformations, qualitative to quantitative or vice-versa. Which type of validity is the researcher ensuring? - ANS Conversion validity;Which of the following is true about research validity concerns in action research? - ANS Depending upon the nature of the work, different types of issues related to validity, legitimation, or trustworthiness will arise.;An action researcher conducts a study to discover students' preference for the instructional strategies of several teachers. The researcher asks students, "How much do you like your teacher?" Some students describe how much they enjoy the teacher's instructional methods, and others rate how much they favor the teacher as a person. Which type of validity is threatened by this inconsistent definition of what it means to like a teacher? - ANS Construct validity;A researcher has decided to conduct a mixed methods study. Which of these factors would have led to this decision? - ANS wanting to provide a complex explanation incorporating multiple perspectives;Once a mixed approach has been selected, what must researchers consider in constructing their research design? - ANS Whether one paradigm will be given priority over the other;Which study would benefit from using an experimental research method? - ANS A study determining the effect of adding nitrogen to soil in which pea seeds are planted;How do you find the median? - ANS "middle" of all the numbers;How do you find the mode? - ANS The number that appears the most often;What is one purpose of descriptive statistics? - ANS To summarize and explain a set of data;A researcher is interested in examining the role that students' regulation of their emotions plays in learning. What is one reason that this researcher should conduct a literature review? - ANS To review what is already known about the role students' regulation of their emotions plays in learning;Which statement is true of literature reviews but not annotated bibliographies? - ANS They are published in academic research journals.;What is a common characteristic of a qualitative research question? - ANS It is open-ended to collect as much information as possible about a phenomenon.;A researcher is asked to examine the effects of happiness on creative thought using an experiment. What would the hypothesis be for this study? - ANS Happiness increases creative thinking.;A research group has limited funding. Which data collection method would serve a large population over several years that is geographically and economically stratified? - ANS Surveys;What is a limitation of using questionnaires in quantitative research studies? - ANS It leads to limited outcomes.;A researcher conducts a correlational study to determine where people buy homes based on their occupations. How should this researcher gather data? - ANS By exploring past records of home buyers' occupations in particular areas;What is random assignment? - ANS Randomly placing participants into experimental and control conditions;What is a particular ethical challenge with children's research in the school setting? - ANS Since minors cannot give informed consent, the protocol for acquiring parental consent from a parent or legal guardian as well as agreement from the minor is an involved process.;Interpretive validity - ANS accurately portraying the participants' subjective viewpoints and meanings;Theoretical validity - ANS Degree to which the theory or explanation fits the data;Internal validity - ANS extent to which we can draw cause-and-effect inferences from a study;Descriptive validity - ANS the factual accuracy of the account reported by the researcher;Conversion validity - ANS The degree to which quantitizing or qualitizing yields high-quality meta-inferences;Sample integration validity - ANS the degree to which a mixed researcher makes appropriate conclusions, generalizations, and meta-inferences from mixed samples;Sociopolitical validity - ANS the degree a mixed researcher addresses the interests, value and viewpoints of multiple stake-holders in a research process;Sequential validity - ANS making sure that the ordering of quantitative and qualitative components in a sequential design does not bias the results;Quantitative researchers most often follow which scientific method to test hypotheses? - ANS Confirmatory;Researchers choosing a quantitative research approach collect which type of data to test hypotheses? - ANS Numerical data;In order to focus in on a single or select few factors of a given situation, quantitative researchers use a - ANS narrow-angle lens;A researcher wants to know whether students who do well in high school algebra classes also do well in college statistics classes. The researcher asks students to self-report their algebra grades at the start of statistics class and then records their midterm and final exams. The purpose of this quantitative study is to - ANS predict students academic performance in statistics class;Independent Variable - ANS The experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied. Changes;Dependent Variable - ANS The outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable.;Extranious Variables - ANS any variable that you're not investigating that can potentially affect the outcomes of your research study;Experimental Research - ANS manipulating variables in a controlled environment to isolate the causal effects of a particular variable or set of variables Relationship between variables;non-experimental research - ANS no manipulation of an independent variable, random assignment of participants to conditions or orders of conditions, or both studies pre excisting variables or future outcomes;Quanatative Variable strengths - ANS - Results can be generalized and replicated -Experiments issolate cause and effect of single variable -Conducted under controlled conditions - Large surveys for data;Quanatative Variable weaknesses - ANS -Data does not always provide information about the context;Researchers using quantitative methods develop and test hypotheses to determine - ANS whether the data support the hypothesis;Quantitative researchers focus on - ANS an objective point of view and a few measurable variables;What is important to maintain for quanatative researchers - ANS Objectivity;extraneous variable - ANS Something unwanted or unexpected that might affect the dependent variable. Comete with independent variable to affect outcome (time of day, ammount of sleep, noise);variable - ANS A factor that can change in an experiment;constant - ANS A value that does not change;Non-experimental research is the type of research that lacks an - ANS independent variable.;Two types of quanatative research - ANS experimental and non emperimental research;causal-comparative research - ANS examines the relationship between one or more categorical independent variables and one or more quantitative dependent variables s a nonexperimental research method, which means that there is no manipulation of an independent variable by a researcher.;correlational research - ANS the researcher studies the relationship between one or more quantitative independent variables and one or more quantitative dependent variables;What is the mean - ANS adding up all the numbers then dividing it by the amount;Discriptive statistics - ANS Describe, show, and summarize data;inferential statistics - ANS numerical methods used to determine whether research data support a hypothesis or whether results were due to chance small population sample to represent larger population;A primary goal of quantitative research is to test hypotheses, which is accomplished through the employment of which type of data? - ANS ;The process by which environmental factors are isolated in order to determine the rate of a specific process is known as what? - ANS Determinision;A constant represents what in relation to a variable? - ANS A constant is a single value of the larger variable group.;When determining a cause-and-effect relationship between variables, what has to be present? - ANS Changes in the independent variable causing changes in the dependent variable;What is the hallmark of nonexperimental research studies? - ANS No manipulation of an independent variable;Which of the following is a key problem with two-variable cases of nonexperimental research? - ANS Unclear temporal order of the variables;When based on random samples, quantitative research is very useful for making __________. - ANS statistical generalizations about populations;Of the different forms of explanatory research ________________ studies are generally believed to be the strongest for establishing cause-and-effect relationships. - ANS experimental;________ research is better able to describe complex phenomena among a small number of participants than quantitative research. - ANS Qualatative;Phenomenology - ANS Describing individuals' experiences of the phenomenon;Ethnography - ANS Describing cultural characteristics of a group of people;Narrative Inquiry - ANS Describing people's lives/stories to add to current understanding;Case Study - ANS Addressing research questions through in-depth analysis;__________ designs are more appropriate for building theories than for testing them - ANS Qualitative;Qualitative Research Strengths - ANS 1. Data collected in naturalistic settings based on the participants' own categories of meaning. 2. Is useful for studying a limited number of cases in depth and describing complex phenomena. 3. One can conduct cross-case comparisons and analysis. 4. Can describe in rich detail phenomena as they are situated and embedded in local contexts. 5. The researcher can study dynamic processes (i.e., documenting sequential patterns and change). 6. The researcher can inductively generate a tentative but explanatory theory about a phenomenon. 7. Can determine how participants interpret constructs (e.g., self-esteem, IQ). 8. Responsive to local situations, conditions, stakeholders' needs and changes that occur during conduct of study.;Qualitative Research Weaknesses - ANS 1. Knowledge produced might not generalize to other people or other settings (i.e., findings might be unique to the relatively few people included in the research study). 2. It is difficult to make quantitative predictions. 3. It is more difficult to test hypotheses and theories with large participant pools. 4. The study might have less credibility with some administrators and commissioners of programs. 5. Collecting data generally takes more time than with quantitative research. 6. Data analysis is often time-consuming. 7. The results are more easily influenced by the researcher's personal biases and idiosyncrasies.;The qualitative findings are less ___________ because of the smaller sample size and narrower range of participants. - ANS generalizable;What is the purpose of action research? - ANS To gather data and develop solutions to solve problems on the local level.;Inferential statistics - ANS focused on making predictions or inferences about a population, which is ideal for use by action researchers;internal statistics - ANS a set of assumptions and procedures used to evaluate the likelihood that an observed effect is present in the population from which the sample was drawn;Exploratory/Description - ANS Needs Assessment;Quantitative researchers most often follow which scientific method to test hypotheses? - ANS Confirmatory;Making predictions about a population based on a sample is... - ANS inferential;A sampling method that is patterned by taking every 9th person is... - ANS systemic sampling;Random assignment is used in this type of Quantitative Research... - ANS Experimental;____ is the ability to infer that a causal relationship exists between 2 variables. (There's nothing else inside my study that will change my outcome.) - ANS Internal Validity;____ is the ability to infer the magnitude of the relationship between the Independent Variable and the Dependent Variable. (The statistical relationship) - ANS Statistical Conclusion;External Validity - ANS extent to which results can be generalized to a population.;Phenomenology - ANS Studies people and experiences;Ethnography - ANS study of culture;Grounded Theory - ANS Construction of theory though the analysis of data;Case study - ANS recording research over a period of time;Validity - ANS how the research is set up and the instruments used.;Educational Research - ANS the attempt to learn about and generate ideas about specific and unique phenomena;Evaluation Research - ANS decide worth/quality of programs Formative - how to improve Summative - effectiveness;Action Research - ANS Solving local problems;Applied Research - ANS Real-world questions;Epistemology - ANS studying knowledge;Empiricism - ANS Idea that all knowledge comes from experience;Deductive reasoning - ANS a conclusion based on the trueness of underlying premises;Inductive reasoning - ANS premises help form the conclusion, but do not prove the conclusion;exploratory method - ANS makes observations;confirmatory method - ANS uses existing theory to drive research/study;Rule of Parsimony - ANS Keep it simple;Principle of Evidence - ANS researches find stronger evidence that supports theories;Ontology - ANS the understanding of reality and truth;Standardized questionnaires - ANS measuring tools that can not be influenced by the researcher;Representative sample - ANS resembles the population, except for total size;Biased Samples - ANS nonrandom samples, typically different from the certain characteristics of the population;Empathetic understand - ANS putting yourself in someone else's shoes;Narrative Inquiry - ANS Account includes patterns, connections insights;Construct Validity: How high order construct is represented - ANS ;Data collected in qualitative research are analyzed and interpreted and then written using a __________ report style that is less formal and includes contextual description and direct quotations. - ANS Narrative;Consumers of research can evaluate the strength of a study's evidence by using... - ANS Critical Thinking;The ultimate goal of exploratory research is to provide what for researchers? - ANS Understanding;What is NOT a primary objective of educational research? - ANS Action;What research type is best utilized at solving pressing local issues within educational communities? - ANS Action Research;Applied research (e.g., action research) seeks to answer questions in what setting? - ANS Real world setting;In deciding on whether a particular community program should be continued, what technique should a policy maker employ? - ANS Summative Evaluation;Deductive Reasoning - ANS The process of drawing a conclusion that is essentially true if the underlying premises are true Ex: Major premise: All schoolteachers are mortal. Minor premise: John is a schoolteacher. Conclusion: Therefore, John is mortal.;Inductive Reasoning - ANS the foundational premises act as helpful but not decisive reasons toward acceptance of a conclusion Ex: If a person gets up every morning to see evidence of the sun in the sky (either clearly in view or behind clouds), that person is likely to conclude that the sun will appear in the sky in some fashion the next morning;Psychological factors - ANS Examining characteristics of individuals and individual-level phenomena (example: learning disabilities);Sociological factors - ANS Examining how groups form and change;Confirmatory (Right Side down) - ANS Deductive;Exploratory (Left Side up) - ANS Inductive;What does the problem of induction explain about the future? - ANS It might not be similar to the past;What source of knowledge asserts that "many truths are knowable independent of observation"? - ANS Rationalism;What characterizes the diagram below, containing both exploratory and confirmatory research methods? - ANS Cyclical;Which of the following is NOT an example of a sociological factor studied by educational researchers? - ANS How groups and individuals affect one another;When evaluating a particular theory, which question would not be suitable to ask? - ANS Does it provide irrefutable assertions?;The phrase "This research study provides findings to support . . ." is reflective of what principle? - ANS Evidence;Theories can have many characteristics. Which characteristic is not likely to be one of them? - ANS Indisputable = not deniable;What purpose does reason serve, according to the philosophical idea of rationalism? - ANS The source of knowledge;What does the problem of induction explain about the future? - ANS It might not be similar to the past.;Which statement is reflective of a replication study? - ANS Conducting an instructional intervention study of at-risk high school students using techniques shown to be effective in a previous study, but adjusting to fit the new participants' state curriculum standards;Which research approach uses a "narrow-angle lens" focusing on only one or a few causal factors at the same time - ANS Quantitative Research;Quantitative researchers most often follow which scientific method to test hypotheses? - ANS Confirmatory;A researcher wants to know whether students who do well in high school algebra classes also do well in college statistics classes. The researcher asks students to self-report their algebra grades at the start of statistics class and then records their midterm and final exams. The purpose of this quantitative study is to... - ANS Predict students academic performance in statistics class;What type of research can be generalized and replicated in order to confirm validity and reliability of the data? - ANS Quantitative Research;What type of research's data does not always provide information about the context? - ANS Quantitative Research;Quantitative research suggest that behavior is... - ANS Not fully determined/unique;Quantitative research often focuses on testing... - ANS Specific hypotheses;Research suggests that college students with high levels of social anxiety also tend to have difficulty getting along with their roommates. Is this a positive or negative correlation? - ANS Negative Correlation;Nonexperimental research designs are... - ANS - Correlational - Predictive - Causal-comparative methods (studies that examine how different preexisting groups vary on a variable or variables);Causal-Comparative Methods - ANS Studies that examine how different preexisting groups vary on a variable or variables Comparing groups;The purpose of experimental research is to determine... - ANS Cause-and-effect relationships;Correlational Research - ANS The researcher studies the relationship between one or more quantitative independent variables and one or more quantitative dependent variables;What is a characteristic of nonexperimental research design? - ANS No manipulation of independent variables;What is considered the best design for establishing a cause-and-effect relationship? - ANS Experimental Research;Quantitative research is most useful for determining cause-and-effect relationships when... - ANS Random assignment is used;For researchers looking to gather information regarding study participant opinions, which tool would be recommended? - ANS Rating scales;Why is it said that quantitative researchers use a "narrow-angle" lens in studies? - ANS A small number of causal factors are focused on.;Which tool is designed to collect data by including question items, response categories, and instructions for researchers? - ANS Interview protocol;If quantitative researchers utilize a nonrandom sample, it is also known as which type of sample? - ANS A biased sample;What is the relationship between variables and constants? - ANS A constant is a single value of the larger variable group.;Variables serve many functions in quantitative research studies, except for __________. - ANS discrediting experiments;When determining a cause-and-effect relationship between variables, what has to be present? - ANS Changes in the independent variable causing changes in the dependent variable;If random sampling is required to test a given hypothesis, which method of quantitative research would be the most effective? - ANS Experimental;In considering two-variable correlational and causal-comparative research studies, which of the following is not an important problem to consider? - ANS Lack of extraneous variables;When based on random samples, quantitative research is very useful for making __________. - ANS Statistical generalizations about populations;Of the different forms of explanatory research _____________ studies are generally believed to be the strongest for establishing cause-and-effect relationships. - ANS Experimental;Which of the following is indicative of quantitative research ontology? - ANS Reality is objective.;Quantitative observation involves the standardization of all observational procedures, including all of the following except __________. - ANS Why observations take place;In data collection of quantitative studies, nonrandom samples are also referred to as what? - ANS Biased samples;Which of the following is a key problem with two-variable cases of nonexperimental research? - ANS Unclear temporal order of the variables;Overly abstract theories are considered what in terms of quantitative research strengths and limitations? - ANS Weakness;A weakness of quantitative research studies is the possibility of producing __________. - ANS overly abstract theories;A researcher hypothesizes that people who score high on a happiness scale will also say that they have strong social networks and a healthy immune system. To test his hypothesis, the researcher should conduct - ANS Correlational research;A researcher wants to know if students who do well in high school algebra classes also do well in college statistics classes. The researcher asks students to self-report their algebra grades at the start of statistics class and then records their midterm and final exams. The purpose of this quantitative study is to - ANS Predict students' academic performance in statistics class;The ability to generalize findings to many different populations is a ___________ of quantitative research. - ANS Strength;Qualitative researchers often contend that reality is... - ANS socially constructed;The ______ of qualitative studies involves a "wide-angle" lens to capture the entirety of a phenomenon - ANS Research Focus;Phenomenology - ANS The study of individuals' own unique, first-person, conscious experience.;Ethnography - ANS The scientific description of the customs of individual peoples and cultures.;Narrative Inquiry - ANS Research that views stories - whether gathered through field notes, interviews, oral tales, blogs, letters, or autobiographies - as fundamental to human experience.;Case Study - ANS An observation technique in which one person is studied in depth in the hope of revealing universal principles;Grounded Theory - ANS An inductive method of generating theory from data by creating categories in which to place data and then looking for relationships among categories;Data Triangulation - ANS Use of multiple forms of data to capture a single phenomenon;Theory Triangulation - ANS Involves the use of a variety of theories and perspectives to explain the phenomena under study (including prior theories and other researchers' perspectives);A researcher is interested in learning about the similarities and differences between five students' experiences of participating in an after-school club. Qualitative research is appropriate to address this kind of research question because - ANS Cross-case analysis can be conducted;Qualitative researchers try to understand multiple layers of reality in research settings. Which of the following is not an example of one of these layers? - ANS Results from outside studies;Which method of research allows qualitative studies' explanations to develop throughout the process? - ANS Exploratory (bottom-up);Qualitative researchers try to understand multiple layers of reality in research settings. Which of the following is not an example of one of these layers? - ANS Results from outside studies;In qualitative research, the researchers can also be known as the "______________ of data collection." - ANS Instrument;A specific culture's language differentiates one concept (e.g., snow) into many varied types not recognized in outside populations. This is known as... - ANS Linguistic relativity;In qualitative data collection, which term refers to participants' self-reporting instruments? - ANS Questionnaires;After selecting a research topic, what is the next major step in the process of a qualitative study? - ANS Determine research questions;The theoretical framework of "Grounded Theory" originates from - ANS Sociology;Which theoretical framework utilizes coding to build explanatory models during the data analysis phase? - ANS Grounded Theory;Case study narrative reports include a __________. - ANS Discussion of themes, issues, and implications;An established "strength" of qualitative research occurs when data is collected in which kind of setting? - ANS Naturalistic;A researcher is interested in exploring and describing teachers' experiences related to students reporting a lack of access to internet and other computing resources. The researcher will _____________ to collect data. - ANS Interview participants;In a qualitative study, the researcher interviews four people with disabilities. The research report tells their stories, including their experiences in the public school system and the meanings they attached to these experiences. Which qualitative design was used? - ANS Narrative Inquiry;A researcher designed an intervention that helped students in two math classes meet state standards. The researcher conducted a qualitative study on those students to find out students' perceptions of the intervention.