NES Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A researcher wants to determine whether a new reading intervention caused improvement in student scores. Which research design best supports a causal claim?
- Case study
- Randomized controlled experiment (Correct answer)
- Correlational survey
- Ethnographic observation
Correct answer: Randomized controlled experiment
Randomized controlled experiments allow researchers to establish causation by controlling for confounding variables through random assignment.
Question 2: Which type of validity refers to the extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure?
- Internal validity
- External validity
- Construct validity (Correct answer)
- Statistical validity
Correct answer: Construct validity
Construct validity concerns whether an instrument accurately measures the theoretical construct it is intended to assess.
Question 3: A teacher reviews several peer-reviewed studies before adopting a new math strategy. This practice is best described as:
- Action research
- Evidence-based practice (Correct answer)
- Curriculum mapping
- Formative assessment
Correct answer: Evidence-based practice
Evidence-based practice involves using findings from rigorous research to inform instructional decisions.
Question 4: In a research study, the group that does NOT receive the experimental treatment is called the:
- Treatment group
- Comparison group
- Control group (Correct answer)
- Sample group
Correct answer: Control group
The control group is the untreated baseline group against which the experimental (treatment) group is compared.
Question 5: Which statistic tells a researcher how spread out scores are from the mean?
- Mode
- Median
- Standard deviation (Correct answer)
- Percentile rank
Correct answer: Standard deviation
Standard deviation measures the average distance of each score from the mean, indicating the spread of a data set.
Question 6: A study finds a correlation of –0.85 between student absences and GPA. What does this indicate?
- More absences strongly predict higher GPA
- Absences cause lower GPA
- Fewer absences are strongly associated with higher GPA (Correct answer)
- There is no meaningful relationship between absences and GPA
Correct answer: Fewer absences are strongly associated with higher GPA
A correlation of –0.85 is a strong negative relationship, meaning fewer absences tend to be associated with higher GPA, but correlation does not imply causation.
Question 7: Which step comes FIRST in the evidence-based practice cycle?
- Evaluate outcomes
- Implement the intervention
- Identify the problem or question (Correct answer)
- Search the research literature
Correct answer: Identify the problem or question
The evidence-based practice cycle begins with clearly identifying the instructional problem or question before searching for relevant research.
NES Research & Evidence-Based Practice 2
A researcher wants to determine whether a new reading intervention caused improvement in student scores.
Which research design best supports a causal claim?