Professor Simpkins designs a self-report measure to assess his students' perceptions of a lesson plan. In one section he lectures on the course material. In another section of the same course he supplements his lecture with a class activity. Then, his students rate the educational value of the class. Unfortunately, Professor Simpkins doesn't learn anything about the distinction between lecturing and active learning, because both classes rated the education value as a three (very educational) on a scale from one to three. What is wrong with Professor Simpkins's research?
A) scorer bias
B) floor effect
C) ceiling effect
D) random error

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The issue with Professor Simpkins's research is the ceiling effect, which occurs when the measurement instrument used in a study has an upper limit that prevents higher scores from being observed. In this case, the scale only goes up to three, so students who might have rated the educational value higher if given the chance were unable to do so, leading to all ratings clustering at the top of the scale.

Professor Simpkins Designs a Self-Report Measure to Assess His Students