M.Ed. Master of Education Educational Research and Assessment 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which research approach uses interviews, observations, and document analysis to understand experiences in depth?
- Quantitative research
- Experimental research
- Qualitative research (Correct answer)
- Meta-analysis
Correct answer: Qualitative research
Qualitative research explores meaning and context through non-numerical data such as interviews, observations, and documents to understand human experience.
Question 2: A norm-referenced test compares a student's performance to:
- A predetermined mastery standard
- The performance of a representative sample of similar students (Correct answer)
- The student's own prior performance
- International benchmarks only
Correct answer: The performance of a representative sample of similar students
Norm-referenced tests rank students relative to a normative sample, indicating how a student performs compared to peers rather than against an absolute standard.
Question 3: Action research in education is best described as:
- Large-scale experiments conducted by university researchers
- Systematic inquiry by practitioners to improve their own practice (Correct answer)
- Historical analysis of educational policy
- Meta-analysis of published studies
Correct answer: Systematic inquiry by practitioners to improve their own practice
Action research is a cyclical process of inquiry conducted by educators within their own practice to identify problems, test solutions, and reflect on outcomes.
Question 4: Which statistic describes how spread out scores are around the mean?
- Median
- Mode
- Standard deviation (Correct answer)
- Percentile rank
Correct answer: Standard deviation
Standard deviation quantifies the average amount by which scores deviate from the mean, indicating the dispersion of the data set.
Question 5: A criterion-referenced test measures student performance against:
- The scores of other students
- A fixed set of predetermined standards or learning objectives (Correct answer)
- The national average score
- A teacher-assigned curve
Correct answer: A fixed set of predetermined standards or learning objectives
Criterion-referenced tests evaluate mastery of specific skills or content standards regardless of how other students perform.
Question 6: Triangulation in qualitative research involves:
- Randomly sampling three groups
- Using multiple data sources or methods to increase the credibility of findings (Correct answer)
- Testing three hypotheses simultaneously
- Limiting research to three participants
Correct answer: Using multiple data sources or methods to increase the credibility of findings
Triangulation strengthens qualitative research by cross-checking findings across multiple data sources, methods, or perspectives to build confidence in conclusions.
M.Ed. Master of Education Educational Research and Assessment 2
Which research approach uses interviews, observations, and document analysis to understand experiences in depth?