Research in psychology and education tend to use large-N group designs that necessitate reporting of mean measures analyzed mostly with null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST), but sometimes with Bayesian, or the estimation approaches in inferential statistics. These approaches all render the average person or student as the the putative…

Good practice in primary research has evolved over many decades of research in applied linguistics to counter human fallibility and biases. Surprisingly, perhaps, synthesising such research in an entire field has only recently started to develop its own methodologies and recommendations. This paper outlines some of the issues involved, especially…

Determining how learners use MOOCs effectively is critical to providing feedback to instructors, schools, and policy-makers on this highly scalable technology. However, drawing inferences about student learning outcomes in MOOCs has proven to be quite difficult due to large amounts of missing data (of various kinds) and to the diverse population…

This paper explores the possibility of fashioning a queer methodology for educational research through analysis of three research studies. It begins with the question of queer visibility, asking about the ethics and utility of remaining closeted vs. disclosing one's identity. It then explores the question of researcher subjectivity and of putting…

Literature shows that most researchers are unaware of some of the characteristics of reliability. This paper clarifies some misconceptions by describing the procedures, benefits, and limitations of reliability generalization while using it to illustrate the nature of score reliability. Reliability generalization (RG) is a meta-analytic method…

Education research rarely lends itself to large scale experimental research and true randomization, leaving the researcher to quasi-experimental designs. The problem with quasi-experimental research is that underlying factors may impact group selection and lead to potentially biased results. One way to minimize the impact of non-randomization is…

This article presents the author's address at the 2007 "Journal of Applied Quantitative Methods" ("JAQM") prize awarding festivity. The festivity was included in the opening of the 4th International Conference on Applied Statistics, November 22, 2008, Bucharest, Romania. In the address, the author reflects on three theses that…

Since the very beginning of Petnica Science Center students do small research projects in order to learn the basic scientific methodology. Preparing reports and papers is unavoidable part of such learning. After 25 years of work, it is perfectly clear that students learned how to present their results and write papers. However, such results do not…

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has endorsed a "Closing the Gap" agenda designed to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians. The agenda is distilled in a series of targets, one of which is the goal of halving the gap for Indigenous students in Year 12 attainment or equivalent (Certificate II or above) attainment rates by…

Errors in methodology occur regularly in the conduct of surveys for educational research. This paper discusses some of these errors and alternatives. In the area of survey design, errors are common in: (1) missed opportunities in attitude scale planning; (2) blunders in item construction; (3) missed opportunities in item construction; (4) blunders…

Many different techniques have been used to increase response rates to surveys. In this study, Federal Express overnight service was used to test the effectiveness of express mail in stimulating response to a mail survey of 132 physicians. The sample was randomly split into two groups. One group received the initial mailing by Federal Express…

The University Council for Educational Administration (UCEA) ought to reaffirm its commitment to theoretical research. Research in educational administration during the last twenty years has been applied or practical rather than purely theoretical or scientific. Although there is certainly a place for practical research, theoretical research ought…

Some concerns about the use and reporting of coefficient alpha are addressed. It is also shown that alpha is not a measure of homogeneity or unidimensionality. Four ways in which researchers use of alpha can convey inaccurate information or a lack of understanding are reviewed. (SLD)

Message processing literature could conceptualize process in one of two distinct ways: a single over-time process as described by J. N. Cappella, versus several processes as described by D. K. Berlo. An examination of literature finds that theories are based on both forms of these over-time processes. However, operationalization rarely measures…

To explore controversial findings concerning some of Piaget's claims, four experiments investigated conditions under which children use a criterion of movement in attributing life to objects. In the first experiment, children ages 4 through 7 participated in a recognition task involving the identification of objects to which they attributed life.…