ACI Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In educational research, what distinguishes a quasi-experimental design from a true experimental design?
- Random assignment of participants to groups
- Lack of random assignment to conditions (Correct answer)
- Absence of a control group entirely
- Use of qualitative data only
Correct 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.
Question 2: 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?
- Cross-sectional study
- Case study
- Pre-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design (Correct answer)
- Randomized controlled trial
Correct 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.
Question 3: Which statistical measure is most appropriate for describing the average performance of a skewed distribution of student test scores?
- Mean
- Mode
- Median (Correct answer)
- Standard deviation
Correct answer: Median
The median is resistant to outliers and is preferred over the mean when data distributions are skewed.
Question 4: When reviewing AVID program research, a teacher notices a study with a p-value of 0.03. What does this indicate?
- There is a 3% chance the results reflect a true effect
- There is a 97% probability the null hypothesis is true
- There is a 3% probability the observed results occurred by chance if the null hypothesis is true (Correct answer)
- The effect size is moderate
Correct 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.
Question 5: A school site team wants to evaluate whether WICOR implementation has improved student engagement. Which data source would be considered qualitative?
- GPA trends across two semesters
- Standardized test score comparisons
- Student focus group transcripts (Correct answer)
- Attendance rate percentages
Correct answer: Student focus group transcripts
Focus group transcripts yield descriptive, non-numerical data and are a classic qualitative data source.
Question 6: Which concept describes the degree to which an assessment measures the specific construct it is intended to measure?
- Reliability
- Validity (Correct answer)
- Generalizability
- Internal consistency
Correct answer: Validity
Validity refers to whether an instrument accurately measures the construct it is designed to assess.
Question 7: In evidence-based practice, a 'systematic review' differs from a traditional literature review primarily because it:
- Focuses exclusively on qualitative studies
- Follows explicit, reproducible methods for locating and synthesizing research (Correct answer)
- Is conducted by a single researcher
- Only includes studies published after 2000
Correct answer: Follows explicit, reproducible methods for locating and synthesizing research
Systematic reviews use transparent, predetermined criteria to search, select, and synthesize research, minimizing bias.
ACI Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 2
In educational research, what distinguishes a quasi-experimental design from a true experimental design?