Deck 4: Reviewing the Literature

Question 1

A researcher wishes to explore whether children's conceptions of learning vary depending on their gender and social class. In what situation should the researcher collect data before reviewing the literature?

A) The researcher intends to develop grounded theory about how social class and gender affect children's conceptions of learning.
B) The researcher intends to develop a new measure of conceptions of learning.
C) The researcher plans to study a population of children that he thinks has not been studied previously.
D) The researcher plans to test hypotheses derived from a theory of intellectual development.

Answer 1

The researcher intends to develop grounded theory about how social class and gender affect children's conceptions of learning.

Question 2

Match the following purposes of a literature review with the example that illustrates that purpose.

-Delimiting the research problem

A) A researcher identifies attempted programs that were unsuccessful in reducing dropout rates.
B) A researcher explores suggestions that other researchers have posed to determine the best ways to keep students in school until graduation.
C) A researcher identifies all the major lines of inquiry that have been pursued in the field of dropout prevention.
D) A researcher develops a conceptual model to explain his discovery that dropouts tend to leave school because they had a compelling, time-intensive interest in some out-of-school activity.
E) A researcher speculates about the possible value of an approach to dropout prevention that has not been previously tried.
F) A researcher examines the literature on dropout prevention programs to determine how student satisfaction with such programs was measured.

Answer 2

A researcher identifies all the major lines of inquiry that have been pursued in the field of dropout prevention.

Question 3

Match the following purposes of a literature review with the example that illustrates that purpose.

-Seeking new lines of inquiry

A) A researcher identifies attempted programs that were unsuccessful in reducing dropout rates.
B) A researcher explores suggestions that other researchers have posed to determine the best ways to keep students in school until graduation.
C) A researcher identifies all the major lines of inquiry that have been pursued in the field of dropout prevention.
D) A researcher develops a conceptual model to explain his discovery that dropouts tend to leave school because they had a compelling, time-intensive interest in some out-of-school activity.
E) A researcher speculates about the possible value of an approach to dropout prevention that has not been previously tried.
F) A researcher examines the literature on dropout prevention programs to determine how student satisfaction with such programs was measured.

Answer 3

A researcher speculates about the possible value of an approach to dropout prevention that has not been previously tried.

Question 4

Match the following purposes of a literature review with the example that illustrates that purpose.

-Avoiding fruitless approaches

A) A researcher identifies attempted programs that were unsuccessful in reducing dropout rates.
B) A researcher explores suggestions that other researchers have posed to determine the best ways to keep students in school until graduation.
C) A researcher identifies all the major lines of inquiry that have been pursued in the field of dropout prevention.
D) A researcher develops a conceptual model to explain his discovery that dropouts tend to leave school because they had a compelling, time-intensive interest in some out-of-school activity.
E) A researcher speculates about the possible value of an approach to dropout prevention that has not been previously tried.
F) A researcher examines the literature on dropout prevention programs to determine how student satisfaction with such programs was measured.

Question 5

Match the following purposes of a literature review with the example that illustrates that purpose.

-Gaining methodological insights

A) A researcher identifies attempted programs that were unsuccessful in reducing dropout rates.
B) A researcher explores suggestions that other researchers have posed to determine the best ways to keep students in school until graduation.
C) A researcher identifies all the major lines of inquiry that have been pursued in the field of dropout prevention.
D) A researcher develops a conceptual model to explain his discovery that dropouts tend to leave school because they had a compelling, time-intensive interest in some out-of-school activity.
E) A researcher speculates about the possible value of an approach to dropout prevention that has not been previously tried.
F) A researcher examines the literature on dropout prevention programs to determine how student satisfaction with such programs was measured.

Question 6

Match the following purposes of a literature review with the example that illustrates that purpose.

-Identifying recommendations for further research

A) A researcher identifies attempted programs that were unsuccessful in reducing dropout rates.
B) A researcher explores suggestions that other researchers have posed to determine the best ways to keep students in school until graduation.
C) A researcher identifies all the major lines of inquiry that have been pursued in the field of dropout prevention.
D) A researcher develops a conceptual model to explain his discovery that dropouts tend to leave school because they had a compelling, time-intensive interest in some out-of-school activity.
E) A researcher speculates about the possible value of an approach to dropout prevention that has not been previously tried.
F) A researcher examines the literature on dropout prevention programs to determine how student satisfaction with such programs was measured.

Question 7

Match the following purposes of a literature review with the example that illustrates that purpose.

-Seeking support for grounded theory

A) A researcher identifies attempted programs that were unsuccessful in reducing dropout rates.
B) A researcher explores suggestions that other researchers have posed to determine the best ways to keep students in school until graduation.
C) A researcher identifies all the major lines of inquiry that have been pursued in the field of dropout prevention.
D) A researcher develops a conceptual model to explain his discovery that dropouts tend to leave school because they had a compelling, time-intensive interest in some out-of-school activity.
E) A researcher speculates about the possible value of an approach to dropout prevention that has not been previously tried.
F) A researcher examines the literature on dropout prevention programs to determine how student satisfaction with such programs was measured.

Question 8

It is important to conduct a review of literature before starting a research project in order to

A) gain insight into the research methods used by other investigators.
B) select tried-and-true approaches.
C) broaden the research problem.
D) compare preliminary sources.

Question 9

A good first step in conducting a literature review for a research study is to

A) finalize your problem statement before reading any primary sources.
B) do a thorough search of each preliminary source that indexes the literature relevant to your problem.
C) read selected secondary sources to get an overview of the literature relevant to your problem.
D) read the references in various primary sources to generate a list of other primary sources.

Question 10

A drawback of using secondary sources in reviews of the research literature is that

A) for many topics in education, primary sources are more accessible.
B) changes and omissions may have been made in the description of the original studies.
C) it takes longer to obtain an overview of a topic when using secondary sources.
D) the number of secondary sources in education and the social sciences is very limited.

Question 11

Mark a P in front of the sources listed below that most likely are primary sources and an S in front of those that most likely are secondary sources

-A textbook on educational research

A) S
B) P

Question 12

Mark a P in front of the sources listed below that most likely are primary sources and an S in front of those that most likely are secondary sources

-An annual review of the literature on various topics of current interest

A) S
B) P

Question 13

Mark a P in front of the sources listed below that most likely are primary sources and an S in front of those that most likely are secondary sources

-An article describing the author's dissertation investigation

A) S
B) P

Question 14

Mark a P in front of the sources listed below that most likely are primary sources and an S in front of those that most likely are secondary sources

-A final report of the results of an evaluation study

A) S
B) P

Question 15

Mark a P in front of the sources listed below that most likely are primary sources and an S in front of those that most likely are secondary sources

-An encyclopedia article summarizing theories of school organization

A) S
B) P

Question 16

Mark a P in front of the sources listed below that most likely are primary sources and an S in front of those that most likely are secondary sources

-A summary of the findings of several experiments that the author helped conduct.

A) S
B) P

Question 17

In educational research, the review of the literature should concentrate on presenting information from______ sources.

A) primary
B) secondary
C) preliminary
D) theoretical

Question 18

If you are interested in identifying all studies conducted by a particular researcher, it would be easiest to start by

A) consulting a secondary source.
B) consulting a primary-source document written by the researcher.
C) consulting a preliminary source.
D) contacting the researcher directly.

Question 19

In a preliminary source such as Education Abstracts, the collection of records is called a

A) search engine.
B) citation list.
C) database.
D) secondary database.

Question 20

Boolean operators are designed to

A) facilitate the selection of relevant descriptors for searching a preliminary source.
B) produce an automatic, detailed record of search procedures that one has used during an online session with a preliminary source.
C) expand or limit the number of citations retrieved when searching a preliminary source.
D) link citations in a preliminary source to hard copies of the citations in the Library of Congress and Google Scholar.

Question 21

In a search of a preliminary source, use of an or connector between two terms will most likely

A) increase the number of citations retrieved.
B) decrease the number of citations retrieved.
C) produce only citations that are highly relevant to your topic.
D) produce only citations that are coded by both the terms you specified.

Question 22

In a search of a preliminary source, truncation makes it possible to

A) limit the number of retrieved records.
B) identify all records that contain any keyword having a common root.
C) rank keywords in their order of relevance to a specified topic.
D) all of the above.

Question 23

Downloading your citations with bibliographic software like Endnote or ProCite

A) allows you to put each citation into a standard format.
B) provides fields in which you can type notes about each citation.
C) allows you to import citations directly into your research report.
D) all of the above.

Question 24

The available preliminary sources in education provide an index to

A) bibliographies.
B) book reviews.
C) journal articles, paper, and reports.
D) all of the above.

Question 25

Web of Science indexes

A) documents that cite a particular document.
B) fugitive literature.
C) journal articles in the physical sciences that are relevant to education.
D) journal articles in all countries that conduct educational research.

Question 26

The most used preliminary source indexing the literature on education is

A) Education Abstracts.
B) Dissertation Abstracts.
C) ERIC.
D) Google Scholar.

Question 27

Reading a secondary source on the topic of research about class size is of particular benefit to a researcher planning to carry out a study involving this variable because

A) it provides the direct perspective of the individuals who conducted the research.
B) it combines knowledge from many primary sources into a single publication.
C) it provides an exhaustive list of preliminary sources relevant to the topic of class size.
D) it eliminates the need to do one's own synthesis of the primary source literature.

Question 28

An example of a secondary source of literature on education is

A) Education Abstracts.
B) Dissertation Abstracts.
C) Web of Science.
D) Review of Educational Research.

Question 29

The best basis for classifying primary source documents in preparation for writing a literature review usually is by

A) the questions, objectives, or hypotheses in one's study to which the document pertains.
B) a code classifying each document as primarily concerned with research, theory, or opinion.
C) the year of publication.
D) the quality of the study's methodology.

Question 30

A presentation of the use of appropriate statistical techniques in a correct fashion should be included in the_______ ____ _ section of a research report.

A) Introduction
B) Research Procedures
C) Research Results
D) Discussion of Results

Question 31

Studies of the quality of published reports of educational research studies found that

A) about half the studies should not have been published or should have been extensively revised.
B) about half of the studies were literal replications of previous research.
C) most of the studies were of high quality.
D) nearly all the studies incorporated too few variables in the research design.

Question 32

Which of the following questions is most relevant to judging the quality of any published study?

A) Were the researchers' measures developed within the past five years?
B) Were the researchers' measures sufficiently valid and reliable for their intended purpose?
C) Did the sample include at least 50 research participants?
D) Did the literature review include at least 20 citations?

Question 33

In writing a literature review, the researchers devote a paragraph to each study, listing the authors, the measures and treatments used, and the statistical significance of the findings. This type of literature review has the following flaw(s):

A) Failing to describe the search procedure by which they identified the reviewed studies.
B) Not considering the soundness of the methodology used to generate the findings.
C) Not fitting the findings into a conceptual or theoretical framework.
D) all of the above.

Question 34

Match each of the following methods for synthesizing the findings of quantitative studies included in a literature review with its distinctive features.

-Narrative review

A) Calculates a statistic called effect size to assess the overall magnitude of the differences between groups of research participants on each variable of interest.
B) Focuses on the sample size and magnitude of the effects in each study.
C) Provides a subjective summary of selected research, theory, and opinion on a particular topic.
D) Classifies studies included in the review into categories based on the direction and statistical significance of the findings.

Question 35

Match each of the following methods for synthesizing the findings of quantitative studies included in a literature review with its distinctive features.

-Vote-counting

A) Calculates a statistic called effect size to assess the overall magnitude of the differences between groups of research participants on each variable of interest.
B) Focuses on the sample size and magnitude of the effects in each study.
C) Provides a subjective summary of selected research, theory, and opinion on a particular topic.
D) Classifies studies included in the review into categories based on the direction and statistical significance of the findings.

Question 36

Match each of the following methods for synthesizing the findings of quantitative studies included in a literature review with its distinctive features.

-Chi-square method

A) Calculates a statistic called effect size to assess the overall magnitude of the differences between groups of research participants on each variable of interest.
B) Focuses on the sample size and magnitude of the effects in each study.
C) Provides a subjective summary of selected research, theory, and opinion on a particular topic.
D) Classifies studies included in the review into categories based on the direction and statistical significance of the findings.

Question 37

Match each of the following methods for synthesizing the findings of quantitative studies included in a literature review with its distinctive features.

-Meta-analysis

A) Calculates a statistic called effect size to assess the overall magnitude of the differences between groups of research participants on each variable of interest.
B) Focuses on the sample size and magnitude of the effects in each study.
C) Provides a subjective summary of selected research, theory, and opinion on a particular topic.
D) Classifies studies included in the review into categories based on the direction and statistical significance of the findings.

Question 38

The most serious shortcoming of traditional narrative reviews of the education literature is that they

A) paid insufficient attention to the better studies.
B) relied too much on the reviewer's subjective judgment.
C) ignored the statistical significance of the results of quantitative analyses.
D) ignored the expertise and reputation of the researchers whose studies were reviewed.

Question 39

A shortcoming of the vote-counting method of synthesizing research studies on a particular topic is that it ignores

A) the statistical significance of the findings.
B) the hypotheses that were tested.
C) whether the experimental or the control group was more effective.
D) the magnitude of the difference between the experimental and control group on each outcome measure..

Question 40

A major advantage of meta-analysis as an approach to synthesizing research studies on a particular topic is that it

A) is equally applicable to quantitative and qualitative research studies.
B) focuses primarily on the statistical significance of the effects found in each study.
C) focuses primarily on the magnitude of the effects found in each study.
D) excludes studies that have serious methodological limitations.

Question 41

In a meta-analysis of experiments on a particular instructional method, an effect size would provide information about

A) the amount by which the experimental group falls above or below the mean score of the control group.
B) which experiments produced results that were not statistically significant.
C) the reliability and validity of each measure on which the experimental and control group differed.
D) all of the above.

Question 42

In using the principles and procedures of the exploratory case study method for synthesizing the findings of qualitative research studies, reviewers should

A) focus on identifying common constructs across the studies, but avoid drawing conclusions about causal linkages among the constructs.
B) focus both on identifying common constructs and causal linkages among them across the studies.
C) avoid using their own judgment to classify the total set of studies into categories.
D) avoid using their own judgment to define constructs that will determine whether a particular study is relevant or irrelevant to the literature review.

Question 43

In the use of the exploratory case study method for reviewing qualitative research on a particular topic, audit trails

A) involve the participation of a senior researcher who oversees the work of the review team.
B) are conducted at the conclusion of the review process by an oversight committee.
C) require the reviewers to record their key activities, problems, and decisions throughout the review process.
D) focus on the number of preliminary sources that were examined, the number of studies actually included in the review, and other quantitative information.

Question 44

Suppose that you plan to do research that involves designing and evaluating a high school course about career planning. Describe two purposes of doing a literature review concerning your topic.

Question 45

Describe two of the steps that should be included in a thorough review of the literature after you have defined your research problem and identified key terms related to the problem.

Question 46

Define the terms (a) preliminary source, (b) secondary source, and (c) primary source.

Question 47

What is the effect of using (a) or connectors and (b) and connectors on the number of citations retrieved by a computer search?

Question 48

State four types of documents that are likely to be included in a preliminary source.

Question 49

State the name of one preliminary source, and describe its purpose.

Question 50

Name one standard secondary source that is a good source of reviews on a variety of current topics of interest to many educational researchers.

Question 51

Describe one advantage of using a coding system to classify the primary sources you identify in your literature search.

Question 52

State one question that you can pose in evaluating the quality of each of the following sections of a research report: the introduction, the research procedures, the research results, and the discussion of results.

Question 53

Describe one of the flaws that are commonly found in the literature review section of a primary source.

Question 54

Describe one of the flaws that are commonly found in the literature review section of a primary source.

Question 55

Describe one desirable feature of meta-analysis as an approach to reviewing the literature on a particular topic.

Question 56

a. Define the term audit trail as used in a review of qualitative research literature.
b. Describe the purpose of creating an audit trail.

Question 57

Suppose that you have identified the following research study as a useful foundation on which to build your own study: Scott, T. J., & O'Sullivan, M. (2000). The Internet and information literacy: Taking the first step toward technology education in the social studies. The Social Studies, May/June, 121-125.
How can you find other published studies that refer to or build on this study?

Question 58

Suppose you have collected and read a substantial number of journal articles, dissertation abstracts, conference papers, and books relating to your research problem. What would be the next reasonable step as you proceed to write a literature review synthesizing this literature?

Question 59

Suppose you have collected and read a substantial number of journal articles, dissertation abstracts, conference papers, and books relating to your research problem. What would be the next reasonable step as you proceed to write a literature review synthesizing this literature?

Question 60

Explain why it is often useful to consult more than one preliminary source as part of the process of doing a literature review