Despite research investment and a growing body of diverse evidence there has been no comprehensive review and grading of evidence for public health emergency preparedness and response practices comparable to those in medicine and other public health fields. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened an ad hoc committee…

In systematic reviews, meta-analyses are routinely applied to summarize the results of the relevant studies for a specific research question. If one can assume that in all studies the same true effect is estimated, the application of a meta-analysis with common effect (commonly referred to as fixed-effect meta-analysis) is adequate. If…

When swift, accurate appraisal of evidence is required to inform policy concerning broad research questions, and budgetary constraints limit the employment of large research teams, researchers face a significant challenge which is sometimes met by reviewing existing systematic reviews. In this paper we highlight the challenges inherent in the…

Primary research in education and social sciences is marked by a diversity of methods and perspectives. How can we accommodate and reflect such diversity at the level of synthesizing research? What are the critical methodological decisions in the process of a research synthesis, and how do these decisions open up certain possibilities, while…

This article describes the synthesis of the NCATE PDS Standards, the NAPDS Nine Essentials and the CAEP Standards to create a rubric that can be used to help PDS stakeholders develop, refine, and evaluate their partnerships. Implications and future directions on how to use the rubric are also shared.

Systematic review methodology can be distinguished from narrative reviews of the literature through its emphasis on transparent, structured and comprehensive approaches to searching the literature and its requirement for formal synthesis of research findings. There appears to be relatively little use of the systematic review methodology within the…

Research synthesis of evaluation findings is a multistep process. An investigator identifies a research question, acquires the relevant literature, codes findings from that literature, and analyzes the coded data to estimate the average treatment effect and its distribution in a population of interest. The process of estimating the average…

The debate defining thinking, critical thinking, and higher-level thinking is expansive. Geersteen (2003) provides an excellent review of this literature and suggests that one way to distinguish between lower- and higher-level thinking is based on the level of abstraction. In this article, the authors focus on analysis and synthesis or…

Proposes a method for synthesizing findings within mixed-method program evaluations. The proposed method uses a set of criteria and analytic techniques to assess the worth of each data source or type and to establish what each says about program effect. Once data are on a common scale, simple mathematics allows synthesis across data sources or…

"Analysis", the core of graduate business education is probably one of the least understood and most misrepresented learning activities. Everyone seems to claim that they know it, yet most seem unable to actually define it or practice it. This paper reviews Bloom's taxonomy of learning objectives with a special focus on "analysis." More…

The manner in which results and methods are reported influences the ability of the synthesis of prior studies for planning new evaluations. Confidence ratings, coding conventions, and supplemental evidence can partially overcome the difficulties. Planners must acknowledge the influence of their own judgement in using prior research. (Author)

Focuses on the Big6 perspective of synthesis--organizing information from multiple sources and presenting the result. Highlights several ways to organize information and gives examples of exercises that use these two aspects of synthesis. Discusses the role of technology in synthesis and the integration of teaching software for synthesis. (AEF)

Defines education's new paradigm as schooling based on decision making, the critical thinking skills serving it, and the knowledge base supporting it. Outlines a model decision-making process using a hypothetical breakfast problem; a late riser chooses goals, generates ideas, develops an action plan, and implements and evaluates it. (4 references)…

Focuses on synthesis in research--the combination of thesis and antithesis in the dialectical process, producing a new and higher form of being. Discusses kinds of synthesis (unique communication, plan of operation, abstract relations); synthesizing information pieces; summary practice leading to synthesis; and questions of analysis and synthesis.…

Discusses what designers do, information they need, and how they might be aided, as background information for developing useful computer-aided decision systems to enhance designers' productivity. It is concluded that effectiveness of computer-assisted design systems depends on the value of the information and the flexibility of the support they…