Data In Educational Research Research Articles

Editorial: Data papers

An editorial introduction to the September 2015 issue is presented, highlighting its central theme of educational technology research data papers and asserting the importance of sharing various data sets from experimental studies between educators for the benefit of the discipline.

论区域教育科研管理的功能定位

This paper discusses the functional orientation of the district educational science research management. The term “district educational science research management” refers to the management of the research on basic education at district and county level. The author examined the nature of the management on educational research. The problems and challenges of managing the educational research at district and county level are discussed in this paper. Based on the understanding of the rationale and level of the district educational research management in the system of Chinese education research institutes, the author proposed six functions of the district educational research management which could be presented as follows: the function of leadership and policy-making, the function of organization and coordination, the function of monitor and assessment on educational research, the function of instruction and support to educational research, the function of academic research and communication, the function of preservation and query of educational research data.

Education Research and Administrative Data

Education Research and Administrative Data

Education Research and Administrative Data

Education Research and Administrative Data

Reporting the Use of Multiple Imputation for Missing Data in Higher Education Research

Higher education researchers using survey data often face decisions about handling missing data. Multiple imputation (MI) is considered by many statisticians to be the most appropriate technique for addressing missing data in many circumstances. In particular, it has been shown to be preferable to listwise deletion, which has historically been a commonly employed method for quantitative research. However, our analysis of a decade of higher education research literature reveals that the field has yet to make substantial use of this technique despite common employment of quantitative analysis, and that in research where MI is used, many recommended MI reporting practices are not being followed. We conclude that additional information about the technique and recommended reporting practices may help improve the quality of the research involving missing data. In an attempt to address this issue, we develop a set of reporting recommendations based on a synthesis of the MI methodological literature and offer a discussion of these recommendations oriented toward applied researchers. The recommended MI reporting practices involve describing the nature and structure of any missing data, describing the imputation model and procedures, and describing any notable imputation results.

Talking, wrestling, and recycling: an investigation of three analytic approaches to qualitative data in education research

This article is a product of qualitative analyses followed by a collaboration and conversation amongst critical friends. Three methodologies (social semiotic/sociocultural, ethnomethodology, and rhizomatic analysis) were used to analyze the same piece of interview data. An inquiry into the various characteristics, commonalities, and distinctions of these diverse approaches to analysis was then undertaken through extended conversations. Authors worked through the kinds of questions that could be asked and the answers that might be possible given particular theoretical and methodological stances and choices. Analysis of the ensuing inquiry suggests the possibility of deeper reflexivity and new understandings in talking across paradigms. Struggles over representation and compromises in the process created tensions and questions that could not be easily resolved.

Working with Missing Data in Higher Education Research: A Primer and Real-World Example

Nearly all quantitative analyses in higher education draw from incomplete datasets--a common problem with no universal solution. In the first part of this paper, we explain why missing data matter and outline the advantages and disadvantages of six common methods for handling missing data. Next, we analyze real-world data from 5,905 students across 33 institutions to document how one’s approach to handling missing data can substantially affect statistical conclusions, researcher interpretations, and subsequent implications for policy and practice. We conclude with straightforward suggestions for higher education researchers looking to select an appropriate method for handling missing data.

A methodological review of statistical methods for handling multilevel non-nested longitudinal data in educational research

As applications of multilevel modelling in educational research increase, researchers realize that multilevel data collected in many educational settings are often not purely nested. The most common multilevel non-nested data structure is one that involves student mobility in longitudinal studies. This article provides a methodological review of three statistical methods for handling student mobility in longitudinal studies: a multilevel approach, a cross-classified approach, and a cross-classified multiple membership approach. The strengths and weaknesses of each approach and the essential differences between the three approaches are discussed. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study Kindergarten Cohort data are analysed to demonstrate the differences in parameter estimates and statistical inference between the three approaches. Potential applications of the three approaches in educational research and beyond and directions for further methodological investigations are discussed.

Is Autism Associated With Induced or Augmented Labor?

Research Article| January 01 2014 Is Autism Associated With Induced or Augmented Labor? AAP Grand Rounds (2014) 31 (1): 4. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.31-1-4 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Is Autism Associated With Induced or Augmented Labor?. AAP Grand Rounds January 2014; 31 (1): 4. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.31-1-4 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All PublicationsAll JournalsAAP Grand RoundsPediatricsHospital PediatricsPediatrics In ReviewNeoReviewsAAP NewsAll AAP Sites Search Advanced Search Topics: autistic disorder, labor, labor induction Source: Gregory SG, Anthopolos R, Osgood CD, et al. Association of autism with induced or augmented childbirth in North Carolina Birth Record (1990–1998) and Education Research (1997–2007) databases. JAMA Pediatr. 2013; 167(10): 959– 966; doi: https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.2904Google Scholar Investigators at the University of Michigan and Duke undertook a population-based study to look for an independent association between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a history of induced and/or augmented labor. For the study, the investigators linked North Carolina birth records from 1990 to 1998 with state education data for the 1997–1998 through 2007–2008 academic years. Birth data were abstracted from the North Carolina Detailed Birth Record, which details all live births in the state, including parental demographics and labor and delivery complications. Education data, including the federally designated exceptionality diagnosis of ASD, were abstracted from records maintained by the North Carolina Education Research Data Center (NCERDC), which documents all students enrolled in North Carolina public schools. The study population was restricted to non-Hispanic white or black children born to mothers aged 15 to 49 years. Children were classified as having an ASD if there was a clinical diagnosis of autism coupled with a school psychologist’s evaluation utilizing standard individualized testing. Labor was separated into 4 groups: (1) neither augmentation nor induction (reference), (2) both augmentation and induction, (3) augmentation only, and (4) induction only. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control for potentially confounding variables; odds ratios (OR) and a covariate-adjusted population attributable risk (PAR) were calculated for the association between ASD and labor induction/augmentation. Of the 910,887 births recorded during the study period, 678,078 (74.4%) were matched to NCERDC records. Further exclusions resulted in a total study population of 625,042. A total of 5,648 (0.9%) children had the diagnosis of ASD; 76% of these were male. Children with an ASD were more likely to have experienced fetal distress. After adjusting for important potential confounding variables, boys born to mothers who received both induction and augmentation had 35% higher odds of developing autism than the reference group (OR = 1.35; 95% CI, 1.10–1.66). ORs for boys in the induced-only and augmented- only groups were 1.18 (95% CI, 1.08–1.3) and 1.15 (95% CI, 1.05–1.25), respectively. In girls, the only labor category associated with a significant increase in risk of ASD was the augmented-only group (OR = 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02–1.36). The calculated PAR of 0.002 (95% CI, 0.001–0.003) indicates that for every 1,000 mothers carrying boys who would be induced and augmented, 2 cases of autism would be prevented by avoiding both. The authors conclude that because the benefits of post-dates labor induction and augmentation cannot be overlooked, and a causal relationship between these interventions and ASD may not exist, more research is needed into this association before a change in practice can be recommended. Dr Springer has disclosed no financial relationship relevant to this commentary. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial... You do not currently have access to this content.

The first lecture: Playing upon identities and modeling academic roles

In this paper we investigate the discursive practices that contextualize active student participation in a formal ‘first lecture’ situation. The observation that some experienced lecturers consistently generate high levels of student involvement, regardless of the specific student populations they are faced with, provided the starting-point for this enquiry. We zoom in on student speaker roles that are scaffolded in embedded and hypothetical interactional domains that often ‘pass under the radar’ (Erickson, 2004) of what counts as data in educational research. Attention to interactional detail in the multimodal performance of participant roles reveals how emergent open learning cultures might be bootstrapped on hybrid and complex discourse practices.

Today's learning objective is to have a party: playing research with students in a secondary school special needs unit

The use of creative methods has been advocated within disability and childhood research as a means of including voices of inarticulate participants in research, as it can support and supplement the use of conventional language. This paper draws on a research project aimed at designing ‘the best school in the world’ with five students in a special needs unit of a secondary school in a socially deprived community in England, to suggest the use of playful creative methods in generating and representing data in inclusive education research. Play, as an activity occurring in an actual social reality yet not completely governed by its rules, offers an interesting starting point for researchers interested not only in describing the existing world but also in imagining viable alternatives to it. This paper discusses how using a playful methodology had an impact on power relations and provided an accessible context to foster participants' engagement in reflexive discussions about social norms and values. Creative and playful methodology was also useful in transgressing the primacy of language in educational research, thus opening spaces for other aspects of experience to be included in the analysis. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: http://youtu.be/Lt9l1eab6rQ.

Through the Viewfinder: Reflecting on the Collection and Analysis of Classroom Video Data

The possibilities inherent in the collection and use of video footage point to an important innovation for classroom research. Unfortunately, researchers often experience uncertainty about incorporating video into their methodological approach as it can present a potential minefield of operational, technical, and ethical issues that require consideration and negotiation. Nevertheless, with the increased emphasis on the use of digital technologies, the timing is right to engage in more in-depth discussions about the role of video data in education research. In contributing to this discussion, this article unpacks several issues connected to the use of video technology as a tool for data collection and analysis. This article focuses on addressing some of the barriers faced by education researchers such as making sampling decisions, maintaining research authenticity, and grappling with ethical issues that arise. In terms of the advantages for researchers, this article highlights the suitability of video technology for classroom-based research because it provides a permanent and detailed record, which can be analyzed from multiple perspectives. These issues are explained through the experiences of an education researcher, who used video as the main data source for documenting and examining the practices of two effective primary science teachers in Perth, Western Australia.

Improving Political Theory Comprehension and Connections with Blended Learning

Political theory courses are especially challenging for students due to the dense and difficult reading assignments and students’ unfamiliarity with technical jargon. In this paper, I compare the effectiveness of various teaching strategies for improving comprehension and students' ability to connect theoretical concepts to empirical, real-world examples. Drawing upon educational research and survey data from a 30 student class, I identify some blended learning course design strategies that can be used to increase students' comprehension of the readings and contribute to their ability to make connections between theory and political practice. Additionally, I offer a model of blended course design (i.e., course design that incorporates both in-class and web-based learning) that utilizes both in-class lectures and discussion as well as online multimedia and forums for improving student comprehension and facilitating student participation.

The effect of skewness and kurtosis on the robustness of linear mixed models

This study analyzes the robustness of the linear mixed model (LMM) with the Kenward-Roger (KR) procedure to violations of normality and sphericity when used in split-plot designs with small sample sizes. Specifically, it explores the independent effect of skewness and kurtosis on KR robustness for the values of skewness and kurtosis coefficients that are most frequently found in psychological and educational research data. To this end, a Monte Carlo simulation study was designed, considering a split-plot design with three levels of the between-subjects grouping factor and four levels of the within-subjects factor. Robustness is assessed in terms of the probability of type I error. The results showed that (1) the robustness of the KR procedure does not differ as a function of the violation or satisfaction of the sphericity assumption when small samples are used; (2) the LMM with KR can be a good option for analyzing total sample sizes of 45 or larger when their distributions are normal, slightly or moderately skewed, and with different degrees of kurtosis violation; (3) the effect of skewness on the robustness of the LMM with KR is greater than the corresponding effect of kurtosis for common values; and (4) when data are not normal and the total sample size is 30, the procedure is not robust. Alternative analyses should be performed when the total sample size is 30.

Fen Eğitiminde Bilimsel Yöntem Süreci Öğretimi Üzerine Bir İnceleme: Pozitivizmden Anarşist Bilgi Kuramına

Teaching scientific processes is an issue discussed and applied for a long time in science education. But in history, it changed that which scientific worldview has been gained to children in teaching scientific process. In the last century, discussions, called as science war, between positivists and post modernists caused that scientific worldview changed from positivism to post positivism. Within the scope of this study, implementations of the teaching of elementary science education research data obtained from the literature about process of scientific method and scientific debates are tried to offer an overview of science education. Besides this general discussion, of anarchist theory of knowledge called Feyerabend’s approach reflections on the teaching of science will be discussed.

Wicked issues in situating theory in close-up research

‘Wicked’ issues are one-off problems that have no algorithms to follow to solutions. They are ill-understood or understood in multiple, perhaps conflicting, ways and are fundamentally complex in character. This paper argues that the term is an apt one to describe many aspects of the relationship between theory and data in educational research, and the decisions that have to be made about theory and its role in relation to data. The paper explores these aspects, focusing on the theoretical choices researchers often need to make. It argues that while there is great benefit in making good, explicit, theoretical choices, there are several traps that lie in wait for the unwary and fundamental decisions about the role of theory in research. In clarifying the dimensions of wickedity in this regard, this paper offers assistance to researchers in thinking through the issues they face.

The national survey of student engagement as a predictor of undergraduate GPA: a cross‐sectional and longitudinal examination

Data from the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collected across seven years were used to predict final, cumulative grade point averages (GPA). Cross‐product regression was used to explore the predictive abilities of the NSSE benchmark scores for freshmen (n = 2578) and seniors (n = 2293) collected in cross‐sectional cohorts. Hierarchical regression was also used with 127 longitudinal responses in students’ first and senior years of college. In the cross‐sectional analyses, Level of Academic Challenge emerged as a significant predictor of GPA for freshmen, whereas the Active and Collaborative Learning benchmark was a significant predictor for seniors; both effects were modest. The cross‐sectional data explained 22.6% of the variance with 18.2% of this variance accounted for by pre‐college control factors (American College Test score and high school GPA). For the analysis of longitudinal data, 31.3% of the variance was explained and 27.8% was attributed to the pre‐college indicators. No benchmark scores were significant predictors of GPA in the longitudinal data. Results suggest that cross‐sectional analyses can adequately detect modest effects on final GPA. In contrast, longitudinal models explain more variance, though they lack the power to reveal modest effects. This study suggests approaches for the responsible use of cross‐sectional and longitudinal data in educational research.

Making sense of cluster analysis: revelations from Pakistani science classes

Cluster analysis has been applied to quantitative data in educational research over several decades and has been a feature of the Maurice Galton’s research in primary and secondary classrooms. It has offered potentially useful insights for teaching yet its implications for practice are rarely implemented. It has been subject also to negative criticism. Acknowledging cluster analysis to be an exploratory technique, this paper outlines different approaches to cluster analysis and reports examples of cluster analysis applied in a range of published studies. It goes on to pose five research questions about the process of achieving valid clusters which provide meaningful and practicable implications for teaching. These questions are addressed with reference to the analysis of a major quasi-experimental study of science pedagogy in Pakistan. The paper exposes both the perils of misapplied cluster analysis, and the practical value of pursuing a rigorous application process.

Using bibliographic software to appraise and code data in educational systematic review research

Background: Bibliographic database software is often recommended as a tool that can assist researchers in managing the large numbers of references produced in early stages of a systematic review. The uses of such software in systematic review research are often represented solely in terms of bibliographic functions, while the uses that extend beyond simple bibliographic functions have not been explored.Aims: This article provides a guide on how to use extended functions of bibliographic software to systematically complete the steps of appraising search results and coding references for inclusion in or exclusion from the systematic review.Methods: The process is illustrated using an ongoing systematic review as a case description and using screenshots from the bibliographic database, EndNote®, the authors’ preferred software program for the study.Results: The case description illustrates how bibliographic software serves not only to organize and store search results, but also to appraise and code search results and to explicitly track researchers’ decisions across the systematic review.Conclusion: Bibliographic tools can contribute to make the methods that researchers adopt for the phase following the initial literature search more transparent and systematic. The illustrative case description involves a systematic review of academic education in occupational therapy, but easily generalizes to systematic reviews in other health science professions.

P.1.e.013 Effectiveness of cerebral hemoglobin data in educational research of developmental disorder

P.1.e.013 Effectiveness of cerebral hemoglobin data in educational research of developmental disorder