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| Abstract | A brief, comprehensive summary of a research report that includes the research problem, a description of the participants, and an overview of the method, results and conclusions. |
| Correlational research | A type of ____that seeks to establish an association or correlation between two or more variables. The fact that two or more variables are associated does not necessarily mean that one is a cause of the other(s). |
| Aggregated data | Data for which individual scores on a measure have been combined into a single group summary score. |
| Analysis of variance (ANOVA) | A statistical technique used to test for statistically significant differences between two or more different groups of observations. Produces f, an inferential test statistic. |
| Attitude scale | A questionnaire that gathers information about participants’ ____ or beliefs concerning a particular topic based on the degree of intensity that they indicate in their responses. |
| Bivariate correlation | A statistical correlation between two variables. |
| Case study | A data collection method in which a single person, entity or phenomenon is studied in depth over a sustained period of time and through a variety of data. |
| Central tendency | A score in a set of scores or a frequency distribution that is typical or representative of all the scores. Measures are the mean, median, and mode. |
| Coding | In qualitative research, the process used to reduce information into categories or themes for data analysis and interpretation. |
| Coefficient of determination | For bivariate correlations, the ___ of ___ is defined as r2, which is interpreted as the proportion of variation in the scores that is explained by the relationship between the variables. Correlations indicate statistical, not causal, relationships. |
| Comparative descriptive | A research design in which data are collected to describe and compare two or more groups of participants or entities. |
| Comparison groups | The groups of participants who are being compared in a study, either based on different group characteristics or on having different treatments. |
| Confidence interval | A range of values that indicates the confidence or probability of observing a particular score or value in a population, usually expressed as standard deviation units above and below the mean. The wider the ____, the greater the confidence or probability that a particular value will be observed. |
| Construct validity | The degree to which variables in a research study are considered by the education and research communities as acceptable representations of the ____that the study concerns. |
| Content validity | The degree to which the items on a measuring instrument (e.g., test or questionnaire) adequately cover the content that the instrument is designed to measure. |
| Control | The strategy used in scientific research to regulate the effects of variables in a study that are not intended to influence the results or conclusions. |
| Control group | The ____of participants in an experiment who do not receive the treatment that is being studied. |
| Convenience sample | A ____of participants selected for a research study based on their availability. |
| Correlation coefficient | A number that indicates the strength and direction of the statistical association between two or more variables. Vary between –1.00 and +1.00. The higher the numerical value, the stronger the association. |
| Action research | A type of research in which educators examine their own practice and evaluate strategies to improve practice and education outcomes. Most of these studies use descriptive research designs. |
