Updated August 2012
Wondering what all those research terms mean, and how much weight can you put on the conclusions the research authors draw? This Research 102 page takes a look at some basic research processes for adding up the evidence from individual studies and drawing bigger conclusions—about patterns and trends in what works and what doesn’t.
Table of Contents
Research Reviews
The literature review.
“Lit reviews” abound in educational research. Most journal articles reporting research begin here, summing up our knowledge to date on the topic. So how do lit reviews differ from other types of summaries of research?
http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/specific-types-of-writing/literature-review
A literature review tutorial.
http://libguides.library.cqu.edu.au/litreview
A Web tutorial on preparing scholarly reviews of the literature.
www.gwu.edu/~litrev/
Basing decisions on the research: Does the new “way” work? Is it worth it?
Before changing teaching strategies, you want to have enough evidence that the new method will be an improvement. (p.s. Don’t be thrown by the screen you see when you click the link below. Simply register for free access.)
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7211/652?ijkey=6dc65fa7ca8312d95390a3957b23b3eb07f37cc9&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
Research reviews and the problem of interpretive bias.
Even the results of one or two well-done studies aren’t enough to make you confident that it’s time for a change. Instead, you need to have a body of evidence to support that change. Usually, review articles are a good source of information. These are narrative articles describing an area of research on a particular question. However, authors may have an interpretation bias: Watch out for it.
http://tinyurl.com/yjzprgf
Systematic reviews: Trying to avoid the bias by looking at the whole picture.
Systematic reviews attempt to avoid bias by covering all studies relevant to a given question, putting those results together, reporting strengths and weaknesses of those studies, and putting together a comprehensive summary.
Wikipedia’s explanation of systematic reviews.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systematic_review
What’s a systematic review, and how is it different from a literature review?
http://www.mrc.ac.za/cochrane/systematic.htm
From the Annals of Internal Medicine.
http://www.annals.org/content/126/5/376.full
Meta-Analyses: The Next Step Up
A meta-analysis goes further than a systematic review. It’s a quantitative method that not only culls the results of many studies but also presents an estimate of the effect size. If you want to know more, these resources will help answer the question,”What is a meta-analysis?”
Meta-analysis, explained.
http://wilderdom.com/research/meta-analysis.html
Wikipedia’s explanation of meta-analysis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta-analysis
Wikipedia’s 1000 links to definitions of meta-analysis you’ll find on the web.
Need we say more, except maybe there aren’t a 1000 links…seems darn close, tho!
http://tinyurl.com/ykt8x9m
What is Effect Size?
Wikipedia’s explanation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_size
Power analysis, statistical significance, and effect size.
http://meera.snre.umich.edu/plan-an-evaluation/related-topics/power-analysis-statistical-significance-effect-size
And here’s a great primer on the subject.
http://www.cemcentre.org/evidence-based-education/effect-size-resources
Want to calculate an effect size yourself? Try out this effect size calculator.
http://www.cemcentre.org/evidence-based-education/effect-size-calculator
Applications to Education
Okay, so how do you take research findings and apply them to educational questions or concerns?
Meta-analysis in educational research.
http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=2&n=8
The push for usability.
http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/research-into-practice/
Will it work for these students?
The case for validity generalization.
http://pareonline.net/getvn.asp?v=2&n=13
The generalizability of research results.
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/external.htm
Did the study measure the right thing?
Operational definitions of concepts.
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~pe/hp602web/HP602VA14.htm
More on defining concepts.
www.sfu.ca/~richards/Zen/Pages/Chap3.htm
Doing What Works.
The Doing What Works site is an offshoot of the What Works Clearinghouse, designed to take the findings of the WWC about specific educational research, translate them into usable materials and tools, and help educators get available research into practice.
http://dww.ed.gov/index.cfm
Would you like to visit another page in NICHCY’s series of Research Basics?
If so, use the links below to jump right there.
Research 101 | What makes for good research?
Research 102: Adding Up the Evidence | You’re here!
Making Sense of Statistics in Research | Don’t let stats throw you.
Weighing Info for Its Worth | Is this research well done?
Special Education Research: Where to Start? | How to begin finding and applying research.
What Works: Can We Say? | Where can I find information on evidence-based practices?
Research-Based Resources on Specific Disabilities | A starting place for research-based information on disabilities.
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