Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice Flashcards
7 cards from real ACI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice flashcards as text
In educational research, what distinguishes a quasi-experimental design from a true experimental design?
Answer: Lack of random assignment to conditions
Quasi-experimental designs lack random assignment, making it harder to rule out confounding variables compared to true experiments.
An AVID teacher collects pre- and post-test scores to measure student growth over one semester. This is best described as what type of research design?
Answer: Pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design
A one-group pretest-posttest design measures the same group before and after an intervention but lacks a control group.
Which statistical measure is most appropriate for describing the average performance of a skewed distribution of student test scores?
Answer: Median
The median is resistant to outliers and is preferred over the mean when data distributions are skewed.
When reviewing AVID program research, a teacher notices a study with a p-value of 0.03. What does this indicate?
Answer: There is a 3% probability the observed results occurred by chance if the null hypothesis is true
A p-value of 0.03 means there is a 3% probability of obtaining results this extreme if the null hypothesis were true.
A school site team wants to evaluate whether WICOR implementation has improved student engagement. Which data source would be considered qualitative?
Answer: Student focus group transcripts
Focus group transcripts yield descriptive, non-numerical data and are a classic qualitative data source.
Which concept describes the degree to which an assessment measures the specific construct it is intended to measure?
Answer: Validity
Validity refers to whether an instrument accurately measures the construct it is designed to assess.
In evidence-based practice, a 'systematic review' differs from a traditional literature review primarily because it:
Answer: Follows explicit, reproducible methods for locating and synthesizing research
Systematic reviews use transparent, predetermined criteria to search, select, and synthesize research, minimizing bias.