Chapter 1 Introduction to Educational Research
Many of the learners in your class may be uncomfortable with the idea of interpreting or conducting
research. In Chapter 1, the text addresses that some learners may be a little anxious about learning
research methods. The text promotes a comfort level with the course content for students.
A variety of examples of research can also ease students’ initial anxiety. Generating examples in class
and ‘thinking like a researcher’ will facilitate learners’ understanding. Therefore, the exercises below are
Suggested Activities
1. One place to get ideas of recent research reports is to go to access the hot topics links as found on
the Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning. This site provides some recent studies
and reports about these topics. If students in your class are unsure what they might want to study,
2. Obtain evaluation reports from a local school or study of interest to your learners. If there are no
local examples, consider the following examples, which are accessible through ERIC. Those
provided below are evaluation reports. These types of reports work well for introduction because
they often include the steps the team or researcher used in the study in greater detail than is often
found in published studies. This activity directly addresses the first outcome of Chapter 1.
Illustrate the parts of the report to facilitate understanding of outcome 2.
Four recent examples of evaluation studies from diverse topic areas that have broad appeal to use
if you don’t have any local ones include:
• Hartmann, T., Maluk, H. P., & Riffer, M. (2007). Teachers and students learning through
service: A report on need in deed‘s developing work with teachers. ED499066
3. Also consider using brief research reports or shorter empirical articles in class. Divide the
students into groups and give each group a research study. Three examples of varied types of
studies that examine college students’ attendance follow. Have learners identify the component
parts of the articles to support Task 1b and 1c. Groups should identify each of the following.
(a) Topic of the study and the problem investigated
(b) Type of study (have them include type of approach and also whether qualitative or
quantitative)
References of Examples to Use:
Davidovitch, N., & Soen, D. (2006). Class attendance and students’ evaluation of their college
instructors. College Student Journal, 40(3), 691-703.
Debevec, K., Shih, M., & Kashyap, V. (2006). Learning strategies and performance in a
technology integrated classroom. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 38(3),
293-307.
Sommer, R., & Sommer, B. A. (2007). Credit for comments, comments for credit. Teaching of
Psychology, 34(2), 104-106.
4. The National Center for Policy Analysis provides great ideas for potential research topics (See
5. Task 1C asks learners to decide if topic statements represent different types of research. Provide
examples in class to practice this skill. Some example items to include in your exercise are
provided in Handout 1.5 at the end of this manual to be used as a handout or overhead.
For each topic statement, determine if the study is likely
Here are the suggested responses to the topics presented in Handout 1.5:
These answers are provided to guide discussion of these topics. As many topics can be
approached from various angles, you or your students might ‘come up with’ additional ways to
approach these broad topics.
(a) A study that investigates what experts think about while solving problems.
(b) A comparison between achievement scores of learners with simulations embedded in their
mathematics instructional materials and those without simulations in their materials.
(c) A study that examines one district’s response to the NCLB legislation.
(d) A study conducted by the high school art education teachers regarding the use of various
instructional materials and media to facilitate student understanding of district-level
objectives for art education.
This topic is likely an action research study, and would be an applied study that would
(e) A study that compares student grades in self-paced and instructor-taught college psychology
courses.
(f) A study that determines the relationship between years of teaching and incidence of student
disruptive behavior in the classroom.
(g) A study that investigates what happens on a typical Saturday in our school’s detention
program.
This topic is likely an applied, qualitative study. It might be approached using ethnographic
(h) A study that targets a reading-disabled student’s response to intervention.
(i) A study of 5 first-year students from rural communities on acclimation to a large university
setting.
(j) A study that addresses how parents feel about the new district standards regarding calculators
in math classes.
(k) A study that examines the relationship between in class attendance and course grades.
(l) A study that addresses the experiences of ethnic minorities at primarily white universities
during the 1950s and 1960s.
(m) A study to determine whether a summer reading program should be continued.
6. Learners in my courses often believe that certain research areas can only be investigated by one
method. I use a single general research question and have the class work with me, in groups or
individually to generate topics that address the same general question using different methods.
Handout 1.6 provides an overhead or handout for this exercise using the topic of school
uniforms. The following are some possible answers for this exercise given school uniforms as the
research topic.
While some topics may be most often approached for study by a particular method or type of
research some topics can easily be considered from many different types of research. One
example of such a topic is school uniforms. Given the general topic of school uniforms, develop
a research topic for each of the following approaches.
c. Case Study: How do students and teachers react to the implementation of a school uniform
policy?
d. Single-Subject: Are there changes in the behavior problems of individual students with
emotional disorders after the implementation of a school uniform policy?
e. Survey: How do teachers, parents, students, and community members feel about the
implementation of a school uniform policy?
7. Many institutions, due to new requirements by some federal funding agencies such as NIH, now
require all researchers to pass a written or verbal test and undergo formal training on human
subjects’ ethics prior to consideration of proposals. As part of Chapter 1 content I make the
training a requirement for the course. Also recently, some training programs are now
collaborative across institutions. The National Science Foundation has set forth guidelines for
data storage. It is helpful for students to be familiar with the guidelines suggested by national
8. Ivor A. Pritchard published an essay regarding research ethics and human subjects’ review. It is a
nicely done piece that traces some history, introduces the IRB, and discusses the role of IRBs for
practitioner researchers. It is a helpful article if there are many practitioner- researchers in the
class that you teach. Have students access it from the library, read it, and bring it to class as part
of a Chapter 2 assignment or scavenger hunt. Discuss the main points in class. Handout 1.8 at
the end of this manual can be used as guided notes for students to complete prior to class or as an
overhead to guide discussion.
9. As part of the ethics content, I review ethics of scholarly work and ethics with human subjects. I
introduce content such as appropriate referencing, field ethics and standards, as well as ethics in
reporting data and research credit for collaborators. During other parts of the text some of this
content is covered in depth but I broadly introduce it here. The Publication Manual of the APA,
5th edition, provides some support for this content. Other ethics sources include three good
10. I have had representatives from the Compliance Office come to my courses and introduce the
IRB. They generally cover a little history, a little law, a few terrifying stories about what
happens if a researcher doesn’t comply with the requirements of human subjects’ review, and
then get into very helpful content about the institution’s specific training programs and IRB.
Since IRBs differ some, it is helpful to get this information directly.
If I don’t have a guest come, I usually try to cover in a little more depth than the text some of the
experiments that led up to the Federal Acts. There are a few sites on the Web that document
unauthorized medical experiments post-Nuremberg. Most cover a little history too. Have
11. Of particular interest to some students are the differences among countries’ expectations for
ethics and standards for studies involving human subjects. Academic institutions require students
to obtain human subjects at their home (degree granting) institution as well as site level institution
if they are conducting their studies in other countries. I have had numerous conversations with
my students about the comparatively stringent requirements in the United States compared to
other institutions and other Countries. Discussing these apparent differences always provokes
Chapter 1 Test Items
1. Of the following, which is an example of a type of qualitative research?
a. Correlational
b. Causal-comparative
c. Ethnographic
d. Experimental
2. Of the following, which is an example of a type of qualitative research?
a. Experimental
b. Survey
c. Prediction
d. Case study
3. After reviewing the literature the qualitative researcher will select participants. The
participants in a qualitative study differ from those in a quantitative study in that
a. the number of participants are usually larger in qualitative studies.
b. the participants are purposefully selected.
c. the participants provide no personally identifiable information.
d. the time commitment for participants is generally shorter.
4. The first step of the scientific method is to
a. recognize and identify a topic to be studied.
b. describe and execute research procedures.
c. analyze the collected data.
d. state the results or implications.
5. When using the scientific method, the step most similar to the methods section in a
research article is
a. recognition and identification of a topic to be studied.
b. description and execution of procedures.
c. analysis of data.
d. stating the results or implications.
6. Developing generalizations from a limited number of related observations or experiences
is referred to as
a. deductive reasoning.
b. inductive reasoning.
c. scientific method.
d. reliance on tradition.
7. Which of the following is indicative of most survey research?
a. This method relies on controlling independent variables.
b. This method relies on internal and external criticism.
c. This method relies on tests and questionnaires.
d. This method relies on interviews and observations.
8. Narrative is a method employed by
a. quantitative researchers.
b. qualitative researchers.
c. experimental researchers.
d. empirical researchers.
9. One difference between qualitative and quantitative research is that:
a. Quantitative researchers develop deep relationships with their participants.
b. Qualitative researchers rely on objective analysis of the data.
c. Qualitative researchers manipulate the research context.
d. Quantitative researchers state hypothesis prior to beginning the study.
10. Which of the following steps of conducting research includes identifying research
participants?
a. Recognize and identify a topic to be studied.
b. Describe and execute procedures to collect information about the topic being
studied.
c. Analyze the collected data.
d. State the results or implications based on analysis of the data.
11. Case Study is a method employed by
a. quantitative researchers.
b. qualitative researchers.
c. experimental researchers.
d. empirical researchers.
• 12. Which of the following is an example of a causal-comparative question?
a. Are there gender differences in the effectiveness of computer-based
simulations?
b. Is there a relationship between computer based simulation training and attitudes about
computers?
c. What happens in a typical science lesson that includes computer based simulations?
d. What are the reasons a school would include computer-based simulations in their
instructional materials?
• 13. Which of the following is an example of a correlational study?
a. What are the attitudes of the parents about our districts new homework policy?
b. Is there a relationship between student achievement and homework completion?
c. Are there differences in parent attitudes about homework between mothers and
fathers?
d. How much homework does the average fifth grade teacher in our district assign?
•
14. Karen is a school principal. She has been collecting data all year regarding the
benefits and costs of an after-school community service program. She thinks the program
is effective but must make a decision about whether or not the outcomes of the program
for the children justify the cost. She collects data from the students, parents, and those
that have benefited from the program to assist in making her decision. Karen is engaging
in which type of research?
a. Evaluation
b. Experimental
c. Correlational
d. Causal comparative
• 15. Max is a trainer with the “Information Technology Consulting Firm.” The CEO of a
large business hired Max’s firm to do a long-term training for her company. Max wants
to get a sense of how the training is going so he can make any necessary changes over the
next few months. He collects data from those in the firm that have participated in the
training. He collects information from those who supervise past participants of the
training. He also looks at job performance measures to assess progress in IT. Max is
illustrating which of the following?
a. Basic research
b. Qualitative methods
c. Formative evaluation
d. Summative evaluation
16. Of the following, which is generally true regarding the differences between qualitative
and quantitative research?
a. Quantitative but not qualitative research involves data collection.
b. Qualitative but not quantitative research generally states hypotheses.
c. Qualitative research involves more participant/researcher interaction than does
quantitative.
d. Qualitative research but not quantitative research informs educational practice.
17. A publishing company is interested in determining if there is a need for a new reading
curriculum. The research they will conduct is best categorized as
a. experimental research.
b. correlational research.
c. action research.
d. research and development.
• 18. Jack is collecting data for a school district that is interested in the effectiveness of a
district provided Head-Start program. Jack is looking at the benefits of the program,
based upon test scores, in order to make decisions about whether the program should be
continued. Which of the following is the best description of the type of study Jack is
conducting?
a. Experimental
b. Evaluation
c. Survey
d. Correlational
• 19. Paula is a materials scientist. She does research on the effects of environmental toxins on
various materials samples. She carefully designs these studies and collects data in order
to derive theory about how toxins affect these materials. Of the following, Paula’s
research could best be described as
a. basic.
b. correlational.
c. ethnography.
d. applied.
• 20. Michele is interested in the effects on learning outcomes of questions within instructional
materials delivered to learners via the web. She randomly assigns students to groups
given either materials with questions or materials with no questions and assesses the
effects of the questions based upon student performance on multiple-choice questions
administered after learning. Of the following, Michele’s research could best be described
as
a. survey.
b. correlational.
c. experimental.
d. narrative.
• 21. Chris is interested in the role of attitudes about weight training. He developed a
questionnaire and sent it out to a sample of 30-59 year old males and females. Of the
following, Chris’s attitude study could best be described as ____________ research.
a. survey
b. correlational
c. experimental
d. narrative
• 22. Jeremy, a researcher at a local university, is interested in the nature of
playground bullying. He obtains permission for his research and goes to a local middle
school to observe playground behaviors. He spends several months watching and taking
notes. As he begins to understand the context of the playground, he interviews some
students and teachers. He incorporates these interviews into his notes. He systematically
identifies themes and categorizes his findings. At the end of his study he describes his
findings and how these findings relate to other studies that have been conducted on
playground behaviors. Of the following, which best describes Jeremy’s research?
a. Narrative
b. Experimental
c. Survey
d. Qualitative
• 23. Juanita recently told me that 98% of businesses emit toxins into the environment.
I informed her that I thought that number had to be incorrect because not 98% of
businesses are manufacturers. She said, hastily, “well that is the figure the EPA is
using”. Which method of knowing is Juanita relying upon?
a. Tradition
b. Expert authority
c. Intuition and personal experiences
d. Scientific method
• 24. Kai is a qualitative researcher. The topic of his study is the homework strategies used by
middle school children in an after-school homework club. He has reviewed the literature
on both homework strategies and after-school programs and he has selected five children
to study over the next 3 months. Of the following, which is most likely the next step in
Kai’s study?
a. Random assignment of participants to condition.
b. Reporting his results.
c. Collecting data.
d. Conducting statistical analyses.
• 25. Jill is a first grade teacher. Her class is a bit out of control and she needs a
classroom management strategy. Which of the following strategies illustrates inductive
reasoning?
a. Jill decides to use ‘time out’ because her mother, a veteran teacher said to use ‘time
out’.
b. Jill asks the other first grade teachers in the building what they use and determines she
will use assertive discipline because the majority use it.
c. Jill determines she will use proximity approaches to management since it seems to be
working for her so far.
d. Jill decides she will use home-based contingencies because teachers use them and she
is a teacher so she should use them.
• 26-28. Katelin is interested in examining the relationship between years of gymnastics classes
taken as a child and osteoporosis as an adult. She is concerned only with females because more
girls take gymnastics than do boys and more women have osteoporosis than do men.
• 26. Katelin addressing this concern and then developing research questions and
hypotheses involves which step of the research process?
a. Recognition and identification of a topic to be studied
b. Description and execution of procedures
c. Analysis of data
d. Stating the results or implications
• 27. Based upon this description, what type of research is Katelin conducting?
a. Basic
b. Applied
c. Evaluation
d. Research and development
• 28. What type of research method is Katelin employing?
a. Narrative
b. Descriptive
c. Correlational
d. Causal-comparative
•
29-30. Ken is interested in determining if there are differences between men’s occurrence of
obesity and prior football team experience. He compares three different groups of men. In one
group he has men that played football in jr. high, but not high school or post-high school. Those
in the second group played in jr. high and high school but not post-high school. Those in the
third group played all three. As part of the study he weighs the men to calculate obesity.
• 29. What type of research method is Ken employing?
a. Survey
b. Causal-comparative
c. Experimental
d. Correlational
• 30. The weighing of the men would be included in which step of the research
process?
a. Recognition and identification of a topic to be studied.
b. Description and execution of procedures.
c. Analysis of data.
d. Stating the results or implications.
• 31. Kurt is interested in describing a typical day of a teacher in an ungraded school.
He studies three teachers over the course of a full school year and collects data through
the use of interviews and classroom observations. Of the following, which type is the
most likely form of Kurt’s research?
a. Correlational
b. Causal-comparative
c. Action
d. Narrative
• 32. Lisa is designing her dissertation. She is testing the strength of copper. She
prepares samples and tests the strength of copper by applying random amounts of
pressure on the samples. Her research is best described as
a. applied.
b. basic.
c. evaluation.
d. action.
• 33. Won is interested in academic procrastination. She provides her participants a
number of instruments on academic procrastination and then examines the relationships
among the answers they provide. Of the following, which type of research does Won’s
study represent?
a. Survey
b. Causal-comparative
c. Experimental
d. Case-study
• 34. Sally conducts narrative research. She is particularly interested in the challenges
of school/community relationships as schools are redistricted. Which of the following
approaches to data collection is Sally likely to most heavily rely on?
a. Tests and questionnaires
b. Participant interviews
c. Student achievement records
d. Broad based surveys
35. Leslie is finishing her final research report on challenges faculty face when using new
technologies. She includes some direct quotations from her participants to best illustrate
her main findings. Of the following, which type of research best represents Leslie’s
study?
a. Experimental
b. Research and Development
c. Survey
d. Narrative
36. Basic researchers collect data primarily to
a. determine methods for practical problems.
b. make decisions about programs.
c. develop theories.
d. develop educational ‘best practices’.
• 37. Cameron is conducting a study that addresses the differences in achievement
scores between schools that use block scheduling and schools that use a traditional
scheduling format. He has accessed average achievement scores for 1200 schools and
now is comparing the two groups. In which research step is Cameron engaged?
a. Recognize and identify a topic to be studied
b. Describe and execute research procedures
c. Analyze the collected data
d. State the results or implications
• 38. Brian has completed data collection for a study of college learners’ self–
regulation. Which of the following steps of the research process will Brian next
approach?
a. Recognize and identify a topic to be studied
b. Describe and execute research procedures
c. Analyze the collected data
d. State the results or implications
• 39. Which of the following examples illustrates reliance on deductive reasoning?
a. Paul believes a vaccine works because his doctor says that it does.
b. Bill concludes that his car uses unleaded fuel because it is an Escort and all Escorts
use unleaded fuel.
c. Juan assumes that black holes exist because scientists have told him that they do.
d. Jack concludes that all mammals have fur based upon observing his cat and dog.
• 40. Which of the following is an example of a correlational study?
a. Is there a relationship between amount of silent independent reading time allocated in
a classroom and reading standardized test scores?
b. What are the characteristics of a typical classroom’s silent independent reading
session?
c. Are there grade level differences in the effectiveness of independent silent reading?
d. How many minutes is the typical independent silent reading session?
• 41. Of the following, which illustrates a causal-comparative study?
a. What is the typical classroom structure in a secondary mathematics classroom?
b. Is there a relationship between teachers’ instructional style and classroom physical
structure?
c. Are there differences in learners’ mathematics achievement between classrooms that
are structured with desks in rows or in small groups?
d. What are the notetaking behaviors of college students in lecture seating?
• 42. Of the following, which is most likely to be a survey study?
a. What are the behaviors users display while they play violent video games?
b. Is there a relationship between violent video game use and aggressive behavior in
school?
c. How many hours per week does the average 6th grader play video games?
d. Are there gender differences in types of violent behavior of children who play video
games?
43. The main purpose of research and development efforts in education is to
a. contribute to science.
b. formulate theory.
c. develop products.
d. make educational decisions.
• 44. Marge is conducting a study that addresses the effects of a funded program that
recently concluded. The program was funded to develop and implement an after-school
tutoring program. Marge is likely conducting
a. basic research.
b. experimental research.
c. formative evaluation.
d. summative evaluation.
• 45. Dean is a quantitative researcher who studies attitudes about computer use.
Which of the following data collection strategies is most consistent with Dean’s research
philosophy?
a. Observe a few participants over an extended period of time as they work on
computers.
b. Conduct focus group interviews to determine computer users’ attitudes.
c. Interview a few participants and ask them to refer others to the study.
d. Develop and administer a Likert-type survey to collect attitude data.
46. Of the following, which is an overriding rule of research ethics as noted in your text?
a. Maintain participants’ anonymity
b. Divulge participants confidentiality
c. Obtain informed consent
d. Report data without identifiers
• 47. Of the following which is likely a statement made by a qualitative researcher in a
study that addresses social skills training.
a. I would like to interview a few of the participants to understand their training.
b. I would like to give participants a test to determine their skill level.
c. I would like to use teacher ratings to see if the program worked.
d. I would like to control which students get the training so we can compare groups of
children that did and did not get training.
• 48. Of the following which is likely a statement made by a quantitative researcher in
a study of cooperative learning.
a. Let’s follow the groups for the course of the project and take notes about their social
interactions and dialogues.
b. Let’s conduct some focus groups with college students about the types of cooperative
learning they have encountered in their schooling.
c. Let’s compare unit test scores of those who were placed in cooperative groups and
those who were not.
d. Let’s enroll in a course that uses cooperative groups and observe the nature of the
instruction from a student perspective.
49. Correlational research is concerned with
a. differences between conditions.
b. examining relationships among variables.
c. describing the preferences of some group of people.
d. controlling treatment conditions for appropriate comparison.
50. Action research is used to
a. find and solve educators’ problems.
b. control independent variables.
c. promote generalization of research findings.
d. examine historical educational trends.
• 51. Roger is a narrative researcher who studies the steeltown communities of the
1950’s. Of the following which is a data source Roger will likely use in his work?
a. A new book on the subject
b. A recording of a journalist’s visit
c. A newspaper story written overseas
d. An interview with long time residents
• 52. Which of the following illustrates Aaron, a qualitative researcher, collecting data
for an ethnographic study on alternative schooling.
a. Aaron sends out surveys to directors of alternative schools.
b. Aaron examines achievement measures of students enrolled in alternative schools.
c. Aaron invites students from alternative schools to visit him and conducts interviews.
d. Aaron goes to an alternative school and volunteers on the staff.
53. Of the following, which is a type of qualitative research?
a. Narrative
b. Causal-comparative
c. Experimental
d. Correlational
54. Experimental research differs from causal-comparative research in that
a. causal-comparative research is interested in statistical relationships between variables
and experimental research is not.
b. experimental research relies on data collection from multiple pools of participants
while causal comparative research relies on participants from a single pool.
c. experimental research controls the dependent variable in the study and causal-
comparative does not.
d. experimental research controls the selection of participants from a single pool and
divides them into groups while causal-comparative research does not.
55. Which of the following is a typical characteristic of a qualitative research study?
a. Data collection is ongoing
b. Control over contextual factors
c. Generalization of findings
d. Statistical procedures for data analysis
• 56. Given the following reference, what type of study does this title suggest was
conducted?
Ramalho, T., & Cullen, K. (2001). Study group in professional development school
investigates the State of New York’s Grade 4 English Language Arts Assessment.
Journal of Research in Education, 11, 116-119.
a. Action research
b. Ethnographic research
c. Correlational research
d. Experimental research
• 57. Given the following portion of a research manuscript, “Three-hundred and sixty
students were asked about their attitudes toward school.” Findings indicate positive
attitudes in the lower grades and more negative attitudes as learners’ age” What type of
study does this suggest was conducted?
a. Experimental
b. Correlational
c. Survey
d. Ethnography
• 58. Given the following research finding, “Students in the treatment condition
indicated significantly better achievement on the recognition assessment than those in the
control condition.” What type of research was likely conducted?
a. Survey
b. Action
c. Correlational
d. Experimental
• 59. What type of research does the following statement suggest was conducted? “A
significant moderate relationship between text-based interest and achievement was
indicated.”
a. Causal-comparative
b. Correlational
c. Survey
d. Experimental
• 60. Given the following reference, what type of study was most likely conducted?
Wimer, J.W., Ridenour, C. S., Thomas, K., & Place, A. W.(2001). Higher-order teacher
questioning of boys and girls in elementary mathematics classrooms. Journal of
Educational Research, 95, 84-102.
a. Narrative
b. Experimental
c. Causal-comparative
d. Correlational
61. The method of knowing that relies on making decisions based upon the way things have
always been done is
a. tradition.
b. inductive reasoning.
c. deductive reasoning.
d. scientific method.
62. Evaluation researchers collect data primarily to
a. determine methods for practical problems.
b. make decisions about programs.
c. develop theories.
d. Develop educational ‘best practices’.
• 63. Bakari (2003) published a study in Urban Education that queried preservice
teachers’ attitudes toward African American students. Given her methodology, which of
the following types of research did she likely complete?
a. Experimental
b. Causal-comparative
c. Survey
d. Correlational
• 64. Liben studies the experiences of Ben at his first sleep-away camp. He interprets the
experience through stories told to him by Ben. He collects these experiences and shares
them with others in the form of a story. Liben’s research can best be described as
a. single subject.
b. ethnographic.
c. correlational.
d. case study.
• 65. In a causal-comparative study that examines differences in psychomotor skills between
young, suburban, middle-class Hispanic children and young, urban, middle-class
Caucasian children, the dependent variable is
a. Hispanic.
b. psychomotor skills.
c. urban.
d. middle class.
66. The type of qualitative research that includes conducting research on a unit of study or
bounded system is most often referred to as
a. narrative
b. case study
c. ethnography
d. survey
67. According to your text, which of the following is the most accurate statement regarding
ethical considerations in research studies?
a. Most studies do not involve ethical considerations.
b. Quantitative studies do not involve ethical considerations.
c. Qualitative studies do not involve ethical considerations.
d. All studies involve ethical considerations.
68. The federal government has enacted laws to protect research participants. These laws
include
a. The National Research Act.
b. The National Rights Act.
c. The Family Research Act.
d. The Family Inquiry Act.
69. The U. S. Congress passed the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, also known
as the Buckley Amendment in
a. 1954.
b. 1964.
c. 1974.
d. 1984.
70. Which of the following, by law, is a required characteristic of Institutional Review Board
(IRB) membership composition?
a. a minimum of seven members
b. both qualitative and quantitative researchers
c. gender diversity
d. cultural diversity
71. IRB stands for
a. Institutional Review Board.
b. Institutional Research Board.
c. Interagency Review Board.
d. Interagency Research Board.
72. The ethical principle that encourages psychologists to contribute a portion of their time is
referred to as
a. justice.
b. integrity.
c. fidelity and responsibility.
d. respect for people’s rights and dignity.
73. The ethical principle that requires that psychologists try to eliminate the effect of biases
in their work is referred to as
a. respect for people’s rights and dignity.
b. beneficence and nonmaleficence.
c. fidelity and responsibility.
d. integrity.
74. By law, an IRB must contain at least _________ members.
a. 3
b. 5
c. 7
d. 9
75. Researchers seek approval from the IRB prior to
a. generating hypothesis.
b. collecting research data.
c. developing a research plan.
d. conducting a literature review.
76. The Federal Act that protects privacy of educational records is referred to as
a. The National Family Rights and Privacy Act
b. The National Family Research Act
c. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
d. The National Research Act
77. In a research study, deception refers to
a. telling participants that their data will be confidential when it will not.
b. telling participants that their data will be anonymous when it will not.
c. not conveying the true nature of the research study in which participants have
consented.
d. not obtaining informed consent from participants but using their information as data.
78. The Buckley Amendment is designed to specifically to
a. protect teachers participating in research.
b. protect students from deception.
c. protect the researcher from legal cases.
d. protect privacy of student records.
• 79. Jackie is conducting a study at the local skate park on youth’s use of slang
language. She is unsure if she needs to submit her research to the IRB and asks for your
opinion. How would you respond?
a. She does not need IRB permission because of anonymity.
b. She needs IRB permission because of personal privacy.
c. She does not need IRB permission because she is observing only.
d. She does not need IRB permission because there is no deception.
• 80. Which of the following illustrates anonymity?
a. After interviewing participants, the researcher assigns each participant pseudonyms.
b. Although she can identify responses on the attitude measure by their handwriting,
Kate does not report the names.
c. Kristi replaces the participants’ names on their research materials with a random
number.
d. Since Kelly does not know who participated in her study, she can’t report their names.
• 81. Genna has told parents that their children’s responses to a spatial ability measure
that she used in research will not be reported in the research report. However, she intends
to report the data. Genna is illustrating
a. anonymity.
b. confidentiality.
c. debriefing.
d. deception.
82. One of the reasons why ethical concerns for qualitative researchers are enhanced is
because
a. the researcher is engaged with the collaborators.
b. the research generally addresses sensitive topics.
c. qualitative researchers do not obtain informed consent.
d. qualitative researchers generally employ deception.
83. Of the following which is true regarding confidentiality and anonymity?
a. The two terms refer to the same concept.
b. If there is anonymity then there must be confidentiality.
c. If there is confidentiality there must be anonymity.
d. There are no relationships between the two concepts.
84. Generally, in IRB approved classroom-based studies participants’
a. confidentiality is maintained.
b. anonymity is maintained.
c. both confidentiality and anonymity are maintained.
d. neither confidentiality nor anonymity is maintained.
85. Of the following, informed consent accurately refers to a
a. minor child participant’s agreement to participate in a study knowing the true nature
of the study.
b. parent’s legal permission for their children to participate in a study knowing the true
nature of the study.
c. a school’s formal agreement to allow researchers to conduct work in their school
knowing the true nature of the study.
d. a teacher’s formal permission to allow researchers in his or her classroom knowing the
true nature of the study.
• 86. James conducted a qualitative study in a Fraternity House. As a researcher, he
pledged the Frat and conducted an ethnography about the nature of fraternity life at a
large University. When he wrote up the study he did not use ‘real’ names of the other
members. He also did not identify the University in his research report. He did not tell
the other Fraternity members he was a researcher and that he was collecting data. Which
of the following addresses ethical considerations of James study.
a. There are not ethical violations, it was an ethnography and participants were kept
confidential.
b. There are not ethical violations, it was an ethnography and the participants were kept
anonymous.
c. There are ethical concerns, participants did not given their informed consent for the
study.
d. There are ethical concerns, clear potential to harm participants was included within the
study design.
• 87. Julie has proposed to do research with socially rejected children. She wants to
use a selection procedure where peers identify students who are socially rejected and then
they become part of Julie’s social skills intervention study. She will tell the children that
they are participating in a study of children’s social skills but she will tell them they were
randomly selected for the study, not that they have been identified as needing an
intervention. Of the following, which is true regarding the IRB review Julie will likely
encounter?
a. The IRB will not approve the study. It involves deception.
b. The IRB will not approve the study. It does not involve informed consent
c. The IRB will require full review prior to approval of the study because it involves
deception.
d. The IRB will require a full board review prior to approval because there is not
informed consent.
• 88. Bruce studies the effects of class size on standardized test scores. He recently
approached a school district about conducting a study in their school. The school
personnel were really excited to work with Bruce so they provided hard copies of
students’ individual standardized test results. Although the school district was being
helpful this illustrates a violation of
a. The National Research Act.
b. The Family Research Act.
c. The National Family Rights and Privacy Act.
d. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
89. Frank conducted a survey during first-year orientation. He asked students to answer
questions about what made them decide to attend college. He did not ask for any
identifying information on the survey and students dropped it off in campus mail so he
could not identify any participants. Frank’s study illustrates
a. anonymity.
b. confidentiality.
c. neither anonymity nor confidentiality.
d. both anonymity and confidentiality.
• 90. William was conducting a study on preschool children’s problem-solving and
one of his participants unexpectedly broke into tears and sobbed uncontrollably saying,
“I’m so stupid I can’t get it.” and ran out of the session. William was unsure what to do
next. His study has violated which of the following Legislative Acts?
a. The National Research Act
b. The Family Research Act
c. The National Family Rights and Privacy Act
d. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
• 91. The primary role of the IRB is to
a. ensure researchers awareness of Federal and State laws regarding the handling of data.
b. ensure protection of research participants from harm and invasion of privacy.
c. provide institution-specific ethical guidelines for use of human subjects.
d. uphold ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association.
• 92. While conducting a study in a school setting a parent who provided consent for
her child to participate asks to see her child’s test results. Should you share these results?
a. Yes, informed consent mandates it.
b. Yes, the child is a minor and this is her parent.
c. No, confidentiality requires you can not.
d. No, anonymity requires that you can not.
• 93. You have approached a school about doing a study that assesses their middle
school students’ proficiencies with advanced computer technologies. The school agrees
but states their agreement is contingent on you ‘giving back’ to the school. Of those
provided, which is the most ethical means of ‘giving back’?
a. Provide an individual profile score that illustrates strengths and weaknesses for each
student to take home.
b. Provide a summary of individual student performance on your assessment so teachers
can target interventions to help those struggling.
c. Provide individual sessions with students you identified through your study as weak in
technology skills.
d. Provide sessions for teachers and parents on emerging technologies in education and
means to get more information.
• 94. Michele wants to conduct a study in a local charter school. Which of the
following is likely a ‘first step’?
a. Contact the parents by sending a mailing that introduces her study so they consent.
b. Determine required procedures for entry into the school for research.
c. Send a letter to the superintendent, the principal, and the classroom teacher
introducing the study.
d. Arrive at the school, obtain a visitor’s pass, and observe several classrooms to assure
this is an appropriate site.
• 95. In order to conduct a study in a school setting that uses student data, researchers
generally need to obtain permission from
a. the superintendent and the classroom teacher.
b. a representative of the school and the parents.
c. a representative from the school, the parents, and the children.
d. the superintendent, the principal, and the classroom teacher.
96. The IRB has _____levels of review of research proposals that vary based upon level of
risk.
a. 2
b. 3
c. 4
d. 5
97. In addition to researchers the IRB or Human Subjects Board must include
a. a University administrator.
b. a State Legislator.
c. a nonscientist.
d. a psychiatrist.
• 98. Kyle, age 10, heard about a great research study and wants to participate. His
parents do not wish him to participate and have not signed a consent form. Can Kyle
participate?
a. Yes, Kyle is old enough that he does not need parental consent.
b. Yes, Kyle wants to participate and his assent overrides parental consent.
c. No, Kyle can not participate unless his parents consent.
d. No, Kyle can not participate because the study involves deception.
• 99. Zareb studies children’s social standing in their classes. He is interested in
students who are rejected by their peers. He has designed an intervention to help such
children. He is concerned, however, because he fears the potential effects of telling
learners that their peers don’t like them. Therefore, he thinks it is important to deceive his
study participants, and tell them that they were randomly selected to participate in his
intervention, to maximize the study benefits and minimize the harm to the students. This
decision best falls under which APA ethical principle?
a. Justice
b. Integrity
c. Beneficence
d. Fidelity
• 100. Sara conducted a study in her sixth grade classroom. The study focused on
students’ interests in Science classes. Sara shared what individual students said about
their interest in science with the seventh grade teachers to help place students in next
years’ classes. What can one conclude about Sara’s sharing this information?
a. In this case it was ethical to share students’ data since it will help them in their
education.
b. In this case it was ethical to share students’ data since the study was conducted in
school.
c. In this case, it was unethical to share students’ data since that information was
confidential.
d. In this case, it was unethical to share students’ data since the information was
anonymous.
• 101. Recently KyongNa conducted a study that examined students’ learning from the
Internet. She had volunteer students show up at a research session, enter their university
access number, and then complete her study. In this study KyoungNa can assure the
students of
a. anonymity.
b. confidentiality.
c. both anonymity and confidentiality.
d. neither anonymity nor confidentiality.
• 102. Josh studies students’ emotional development. He wants to interview school-age
children about their homesickness while they are at sleep-away camp. He is concerned,
however, that by asking in depth questions, he may actually cause children to be more
homesick. Which of the following ethical concerns is particularly relevant given Josh’s
study?
a. Human Relations
b. Scientific responsibility
c. Advertising and public statements
d. Concern for others’ welfare
• 103. Nigel, age 17, is a high school student attending classes at a local community
college. He was asked to sign consent to participate in a research study for one of his
classes for extra credit. Can Nigel participate without his parent’s consent?
a. Yes, because he is attending a post-secondary institution, his parent’s consent is not
necessary.
b. No, Nigel can only participate if his parents consent to his participation.
c. Yes, Nigel wants to participate and at his age his assent overrides parental consent.
d. No, it is always unethical for students to participate in studies for extra credit.
• 104. Jon conducted a survey study in his alternative high school on the benefits of service
learning, which is a focus of the school. He shared what individual students said about
service learning when he reported the study. What can one conclude about Jon’s sharing
of this information?
a. In this case, it was unethical to share students’ data since that information should
have been confidential.
b. In this case, it was unethical to share students’ data since the information should have
been anonymous.
c. In this case it was ethical to share students’ data since they enrolled in this school.
d. In this case it was ethical to share students’ data since the study was conducted in an
alternative school.
• 105. You have approached a outdoor school camp program about doing a study that
explores students outdoor experience deficiencies. The program agrees but under the
condition that you provide some benefit to the participants and the program. Of those
provided, which is the most ethical means to provide benefit to the program?
a. Provide the school a summary of the findings as they relate to the program’s
objectives.
b. Advertise to the community that you are doing research with the students of the
school to increase the status of the program.
c. Provide an individual profile score for each participant so the program can gauge
outdoor experience deficiencies.
d. Provide individual sessions with students you identified through your study as high in
deficiencies.
• 106. In a causal-comparative study that examines differences in mathematics achievement in
low ability students in rural schools, given one of three packaged curriculum, the
dependent variable is
a. curriculum.
b. achievement.
c. rural.
d. low ability.
• 107. Guthrie and his colleagues published a study that measured students reading
attitudes.. Given his methodology, which of the following types of research did he likely
complete?
a. Experimental
b. Causal-comparative
c. Survey
d. Correlational
• 108. Marley presented a study in which he randomly assigned students to one of three
interventions designed to actively engage students as they solved mathematics problems.
Given this description, which of the following types of research did he likely complete?
a. Survey
b. Ethnography
c. Case Study
d. Experimental
• 109. Patricia examined the role of discussion boards in online learning environments when
compared to blended courses that cover the same content. She uses the number of
discussion threads as the dependent variable. He research is best classified as
a. Causal-comparative
b. Experimental
c. Correlational
d. Survey
110. The philosophical assumption that addresses the nature of reality is referred to as
a. epistemology.
b. phenomenology.
c. ontology.
d. methology.
Chapter 1 Answers
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