NES Research & Evidence-Based Practice 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following BEST describes a norm-referenced assessment?
- A test that compares student performance to a predetermined mastery standard
- A test that compares a student's score to those of a representative sample group (Correct answer)
- A portfolio of student work collected over time
- An informal observation checklist
Correct answer: A test that compares a student's score to those of a representative sample group
Norm-referenced assessments rank students relative to a norming group rather than against a fixed performance standard.
Question 2: In educational research, which sampling method gives every member of a population an equal chance of being selected?
- Purposive sampling
- Convenience sampling
- Simple random sampling (Correct answer)
- Cluster sampling
Correct answer: Simple random sampling
Simple random sampling ensures every individual in the population has an equal probability of selection, reducing selection bias.
Question 3: A district adopts a reading program because 'it has always worked.' Which critical-thinking step is being skipped?
- Implementing the strategy
- Evaluating student outcomes
- Searching for and critically appraising research evidence (Correct answer)
- Identifying the problem
Correct answer: Searching for and critically appraising research evidence
Evidence-based practice requires critically appraising research before adoption, not relying solely on tradition or anecdote.
Question 4: Which type of research question is BEST answered using qualitative methods?
- Does intervention X raise test scores more than intervention Y?
- What percentage of students read below grade level?
- How do students experience the transition from elementary to middle school? (Correct answer)
- Is there a statistically significant correlation between homework and GPA?
Correct answer: How do students experience the transition from elementary to middle school?
Qualitative research is suited to exploring experiences, perceptions, and meanings rather than measuring quantities or testing hypotheses.
Question 5: Test-retest reliability is best described as:
- The consistency of scores when the same test is given to the same group at two different times (Correct answer)
- The degree to which two test forms measure the same construct
- The agreement between two raters scoring the same responses
- The extent to which test items correlate with each other
Correct answer: The consistency of scores when the same test is given to the same group at two different times
Test-retest reliability assesses score stability by administering the same instrument to the same group on two separate occasions.
Question 6: Effect size in research primarily communicates:
- Whether a result is statistically significant
- The practical magnitude of a difference or relationship (Correct answer)
- The sample size needed for the study
- The probability that results are due to chance
Correct answer: The practical magnitude of a difference or relationship
Effect size indicates the practical or educational significance of a finding, independent of sample size or statistical significance.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of a Type I error in educational research?
- Concluding there is no effect when one actually exists
- Concluding there is an effect when one does not actually exist (Correct answer)
- Failing to collect sufficient data
- Using an unreliable measurement instrument
Correct answer: Concluding there is an effect when one does not actually exist
A Type I error (false positive) occurs when a researcher incorrectly rejects a true null hypothesis and concludes an effect exists.
NES Research & Evidence-Based Practice 4
Which of the following BEST describes a norm-referenced assessment?