Effect size use in studies of learning disabilities

The misinterpretation and overuse of significance testing in the social sciences has been widely criticized. This criticism is reviewed, along with several recommendations found in the literature, including the use of effect size measures to enhance the interpretation of significance testing. A review of typical effect size measures and their application is followed by an analysis of the extent to which effect size measures have been applied in three prominent journals on learning disabilities over a 10-year period. Specific recommendations are offered for using effect size measures to improve the quality of reporting on quantitative research in the field of learning disabilities.     

Benchmarking citation measures among the Australian education professoriate

Individual researchers and the organisations for which they work are interested in comparative measures of research performance for a variety of purposes. Such comparisons are facilitated by quantifiable measures that are easily obtained and offer convenience and a sense of objectivity. One popular measure is the journal impact factor, based on citation rates, but it is a measure intended for journals rather than individuals. Moreover, educational research publications are not well represented in the databases most widely used for calculation of citation measures, leading to doubts about the usefulness of such measures in education. Newer measures and data sources offer alternatives that provide wider representation of education research. However, research has shown that citation rates vary according to discipline and that valid comparisons depend upon the availability of discipline-specific benchmarks. This study sought to provide such benchmarks for Australian educational researchers based on analysis of citation measures obtained for the Australian education professoriate.     

Attitudes and expectations: do attitudes towards education mediate the relationship between social networks and parental expectations?

Previous international research has shown that educational goals are fundamental for explaining differences in the educational attainment between individuals. For a better understanding of educational inequality, it is therefore crucial to know more about the mechanisms leading to different expectations. Our paper contributes to this field of research by empirically testing how social networks affect educational expectations of mothers for their children. Furthermore, we try to disentangle the underlying mechanisms by investigating which role resources and attitudes within social networks play in influencing educational expectations. We use quantitative data gathered in three federal states in Germany. The key results indicate that network composition not only has an effect on educational expectations but also on general attitudes towards education. Both attitudes towards education and embedded resources seem to mediate the effect of social ties on educational expectations.     

近十年我国教育经费投入问题研究状况分析

通过定量和定性方法,分析了近十年国内公开发表的有关教育经费投入的学术论文,总结了教育经费投入在政府行为、投入政策、保障机制、税费改革、投入评价等方面一些代表观点,提出今后一段时间如能在强化理论研究、把握宏观层面、创新理论体系、拓宽研究视野、借鉴国外研究成果、有效指导实践等方面进一步加强研究,其研究价值会更有意义。     

论教师个人教育观念的理论基础

为了深化有关教师教育观念的研究,我们应该进一步明确“教师个人教育观念”的概念及其所衍生的各种意义。提出和研究“教师个人教育观念’’的理论基础有：个体哲学的诞生与凸显;“前见”的合法性与积极意义：“认知图式理论”与“建构主义理论”的启示;知识观的转变与“个人知识”的提出。通过对这些理论基础的分析。以期为相关研究的深入提供某些方法论的启示。     

Sweating the small stuff in educational psychology: how effect size and power reporting failed to change from 1969 to 1999, and what that means for the future of changing practices 1

Methodologists have written for years about the importance of attending to important details in quantitative research, yet there has been little research investigating methodological practice in the social sciences. This study assessed the extent to which innovations and practices are adopted by researchers voluntarily. In particular, I use the case of power analysis and effect size reporting as the primary example, but I also examine other reporting behaviours. Results show that while observed power and effect sizes in the educational psychology literature tend to be strong, researchers do not seem eager to adopt practices such as reporting effect sizes and power, and neither do they tend to report their testing assumptions or the quality of their measurement. There is room for much improvement in how we attend to the basics of quantitative research, and it does not appear that persuasion and professional communication are effective in changing practice.     

Research on class size effects: a critique of methods and a way forward

Research findings on class size differences need to be examined carefully because of their far reaching pedagogical and resource implications. An examination of research on the possible causal effect of class size differences on pupil progress, and on possible mediating factors, also raises important issues for educational research in general. In this chapter critically different approaches to research on class size effects are reviewed and an approach used in current research at the Institute of Education, that seems most likely to inform this controversial topic is described. Researchers need to pay more attention to providing a more reliable and valid measure of class size itself. In keeping with the bulk of research in this area the emphasis is on quantitative approaches, although possible limitations and alternative research approaches are considered. Limitations of earlier cross sectional research are examined, and the well-known STAR research is used to highlight some limitations of experimental designs. Finally, the advantages of longitudinal research, using multi-level modelling techniques, are examined.     

The use of generalizability theory to estimate data reliability in single‐subject observational research

Direct observation of behaviors is a data collection method customarily used in clinical and educational settings. Repeated measures and small samples are inherent characteristics of observational studies that pose challenges to the numerical estimation of reliability for observational data. In this article, we review some debates about the use of Generalizability Theory in estimating reliability of single‐subject observational data. We propose that it could be used but under a clearly stated set of conditions. The conceptualization of facets and object of measurement for a common design of observational research is elucidated under a different light. We provide two numerical examples to illustrate the ideas. Limitations of using Generalizability Theory to estimate reliability of observational data are discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 433–439, 2007.     

The Tooley Report on Educational Research: two philosophical objections

The report on educational research, commissioned by the Office for Standards in Education, written by James Tooley with assistance, and published under the title Educational Research: a critique , set out to 'help provide some badly needed evidence to inform the debate about the quality of educational research' (Tooley, 1998, p. 9). Whether this 'snapshot' actually upholds Hargreaves' (1996, p. 1) contention that there is a considerable amount of 'second rate educational research' is far from clear, although Tooley does conclude that the majority of studies surveyed lacked a clear focus, employed sloppy methodology and displayed partisanship. Now, those whose work was critiqued might, with some justification, grumble about Tooley's own ideological bias given his well-known right-wing, market-oriented views about education. Concern could also be directed at the report's methodological inadequacies, including the procedures adopted to select the journal sample, the categories employed for analysis, and the validity of the conclusions reached. I leave all of these for others to address. Rather, I shall examine two basic distinctions which Tooley adopts and deems important for his investigation into the state of educational research in Britain. The first is between empirical and non-empirical research, the second is between quantitative and qualitative empirical research. Philosophically, both of these distinctions are highly problematic and as a philosopher Tooley should, at the very least, have acknowledged their contentiousness rather than simply taking them for granted. The purpose of this short note is to indicate why Tooley's reliance on these two distinctions will not do.     

Mentoring Matters: An Exploratory Survey of Educational Leadership Doctoral Students’ Perspectives

There is limited research on quantitative differences between men and women’s experiences in doctoral programs. We aim to fill that gap by sharing findings from a web-based exploratory survey of perceived gender differences on quality mentoring in educational leadership doctoral programs. According to survey results, there is limited statistical significance in terms of gender differences in programmatic supports and scholarly progress. However, women experience feelings of self-doubt due to negative experiences with advising and mentoring, including difficulties making connections to a quality mentor. Furthermore, both female and male participants shared common definitions of what constitutes quality mentorship and believed mentorship was important, but lacking in varying degrees. Finally, all participants agreed that their educational leadership preparation programs should provide additional support in terms of writing and research development. Participants also shared important recommendations for strengthening mentoring experiences as well as future research methods and foci.     

我国高等学校创新型科研团队存在的问题与对策

我国高等学校创新型科研团队在发展中主要存在三个问题:一是缺乏团队自组织特性;二是忽视和弱化认识论高等教育哲学思想;三是学术资源匮乏。为此,我国教育部、高等学校等相关部门需要采取如下措施促进创新型科研团队的发展:一是处理好行政权力与学术权力的关系,增强创新型科研团队的学术自主性;二是重视发展认识论高等教育哲学思想,增强对自由探索和基础性研究的资助;三是国家增加研发投入,扩大资助的范围和额度。     

Reexamining data from the national reading panel's meta‐analysis: Implications for school psychology

The National Reading Panel (NRP) recently conducted a meta‐analysis about reading interventions and made several recommendations from the data. However, given that reading is the academic area for which most children are referred to school psychologists, further exploration of the implications of the NRP data may be warranted. Effect size data for reading outcome measures were qualitatively interpreted, with none of the posttest effect sizes, and only one‐third of all of the effect size coefficients exhibiting a large effect. Furthermore, reading outcome measures were divided into three categories: pseudowords, words in isolation, and contextual reading. The resulting recomputed mean effect sizes of .84, .92., and .37, respectively, questions the grouping of these three variables into one outcome. Other concerns about methodology were also included. This supports the need for targeted reading interventions based on assessment of reading skills. Implications for the three roles that school psychologists play in the educational research area are also discussed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 40: 605–612, 2003.     

关于音乐教育心理学研究方法的思考

通过对当前音乐教育心理学的发展现状的分析指出,音乐教育心理学已经成为音乐心理学的一个重要组成部分,对音乐教育心理学研究方法的思考具有现实意义。当今我国音乐教育心理学研究一方面亟需加强“量的研究”,另一方面必须重视“质的研究”,在教育实践中采用行动研究模式将两者有机地结合是实际有效的研究方法。     

教育量化研究的统计“误区”——基于234篇CSSCI文献分析

教育量化研究旨在通过测量、统计、推论分析教育现象,探究教育规律和指导教育实践。能否正确运用教育统计方法,直接影响研究结果科学性和指导教育实践有效性。本研究以35种教育类CSSCI来源期刊（2019-2020版）234篇教育量化研究论文为样本文献,设计《教育统计方法应用检核表》,记录文献中涉及的教育统计方法和归纳常见的统计“误区”。结果发现,当前教育量化研究存在误用统计方法、参数报告不完整和不规范、相关回归误作因果推论等“误区”。教育类专业可适当增加研究方法实操和数理统计课程,教育研究领域应加快制定教育量化研究论文写作规范以及完善同行评审制度,举办教育统计分析工作坊等,助力我国教育实证研究发展。     

新课程背景下的人格教育

新课程强调要加强对学生的人格教育。人格教育不仅是整个国家和社会现代化的前提和关键,而且是基础教育的核心内容。以人格教育为重心,深化教育改革,对新一代人的健康主动发展以及提高全民族素质具有重要的现实意义和深远的历史意义。新课程改革以来,人格教育不尽如人意、实效性偏差主要来自理论上的困惑及对人格教育的一些根本问题还不清楚。     

黑龙江省高校生态位重叠现象研究

文章通过查阅相关资料,了解黑龙江省高校教育发展现状,然后运用生态位相关理论对其生态位重叠现象进行分析。通过构建生态位重叠程度测量模型,对黑龙江省部分高校生态位重叠程度进行测量,进而总结出黑龙江省高校生态位重叠的原因。并基于教育分流理论,提出有针对性的矫正措施,引导高校从不合理的定位向合理定位转变,最终实现黑龙江省高校教育的可持续发展。     

Communicating comparative findings from meta-analysis in educational research: some examples and suggestions

ABSTRACT

This article reviews some of the strengths and limitations of the comparative use of meta-analysis findings, using examples from the Sutton Trust-Education Endowment Foundation Teaching and Learning ‘Toolkit’ which summarizes a range of educational approaches to improve pupil attainment in schools. This comparative use of quantitative findings has similar characteristics to umbrella reviews which provide a succinct but applicable summary of the current state of evidence to inform practice or policy. Meta-analysis helps to identify which approaches have, on average, made the most difference to tested learning outcomes, in terms of effect size. We suggest that any comparative inferences made between meta-analyses should be treated cautiously, but taken seriously. Additionally, we present alternative ways of interpreting effect sizes, security ratings and cost-estimates to make research findings accessible, whilst retaining appropriate accuracy which is discussed using the ‘Toolkit’ as an example. We conclude by arguing that we should consider the available information not as ‘what works’, but ‘what has worked’ to understand its value and limits in terms of supporting the development of research-based practice.     

美国教育中的腐败问题透析

教育中的腐败是一个全球性普遍问题.本文介绍了美国教育腐败问题研究的一些成果,揭示其特征、危害和原因,探寻治理措施,从一些侧面认识美国教育腐败问题,以期对我国教育腐败的预防和治理提供有益的启示和借鉴.     

The Design and Conduct of Randomised Controlled Trials in Education: Lessons from health care

There are increasing calls within the educational research community to undertake more randomised controlled trials (RCTs). Whilst educational researchers turned away from using the RCT in the last 30 years, health care researchers have adopted the method with vigour. However, there have been many methodological innovations of the RCT, developed by health services researchers, in recent years. Many of these innovations are directly applicable to educational research. In this paper we describe some of the important aspects of trial methodology that educational researchers ought to consider when they design and undertake trials. Specifically, we describe the importance of systematic reviews, the need for a trial protocol, sample size requirements, outcome measures, concealment of the randomisation process from the investigators, intention to treat analysis, and the metric--numbers needed to teach (NNT). Addition ally, we argue that there are considerable similarities between health and education allowing the use of RCT methodological innovations to be directly utilised in educational research.