Question 1

Lindsay studies community and school relationships. She is currently working on a qualitative study in a rural school district. Which of the following is likely true of her study?
A) Her hypothesis were stated prior to the start of data collection.
B) Her hypothesis determined her data collection procedures.
C) Her hypothesis were generated while she collected data.
D) Her hypothesis may be rejected after data collection.

Accepted Answer

In qualitative research, hypotheses are often generated during data collection as researchers explore patterns and themes that emerge from the data.

Question 2

To operationalize a variable means to ___________ the variable.
A) manipulate
B) control
C) define
D) mediate

Accepted Answer

To operationalize a variable means to define it in measurable terms, such as assigning numerical values or creating categories to observe and measure a particular concept. While manipulation, control, and mediation may be involved in some research designs, they are not necessary components of operationalization.

Question 3

Identify the independent variable in the following hypothesis. Children who are given a free breakfast at school perform better on achievement tests and are more motivated for school than are those children who are not given breakfast.
A) achievement tests
B) free breakfast
C) children
D) motivation

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the free breakfast given at school. The dependent variables are the children's performance on achievement tests and their motivation for school.

Question 4

Stephanie has a research topic for her class paper. She wants to study the effects of alphabetic seating compared to other forms of class structure. She can find no research that addresses this topic. Her research advisor is likely to suggest which of the following strategies for her study.
A) Pick a new topic. Seating arrangements in classrooms are not of educational relevance.
B) Narrow her topic. It is too broad.
C) Expand the topic to include different types of class structure.
D) Pick a new topic. Seating arrangements are unethical to study.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Stephanie has a research topic for her...

Question 5

Which of the following is a null hypothesis for the research topic Are there differences in final class grades between students who are taught psychology in a lecture format or self-paced?
A) There are differences in final class grade between students taught psychology in lecture versus self-paced format.
B) There are no differences in final class grade between students taught psychology in lecture versus self-paced format.
C) Students taught psychology in lecture format receive higher class grades than those in self-paced conditions.
D) Students in self-paced conditions have higher class grades in psychology than those in lecture classes.

Accepted Answer

The null hypothesis always states that there is no significant difference between groups or conditions being compared. Therefore, the correct null hypothesis for this research topic would be "There are no differences in final class grade between students taught psychology in lecture versus self-paced format." Option B is the correct statement of the null hypothesis.

Question 6

Which of the following is a nondirectional hypothesis?
A) There are no differences in reading comprehension between those taught a summarization strategy and those not taught the strategy.
B) Readers who are taught a summarizing strategy have higher reading comprehension scores than those not taught the strategy.
C) Readers taught a summarizing strategy have lower reading comprehension scores than those who were not taught the strategy.
D) There are differences in reading comprehension between readers who are taught a summarizing strategy and those who are not taught the strategy.

Accepted Answer

A nondirectional hypothesis does not make a specific prediction about the direction of the relationship between the variables being studied. Options A and C both make directional predictions (i.e., that there will be no differences or that one group will have lower scores), whereas option B makes a specific prediction that the group taught the summarizing strategy will have higher scores. Option D, on the other hand, simply states that there will be differences in reading comprehension between the two groups, without specifying which group will have higher or lower scores. Therefore, option D is a nondirectional hypothesis.

Question 7

Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Ninth grade students enrolled in large classes who are taught algebra through the use of interleaved worked examples for each lesson perform better on an end of course test than are those taught with a single modeled example for each lesson.
-The dependent variable in the above stated hypothesis is:
A) Type of instruction.
B) Ninth grade students.
C) Algebra.
D) End of course test.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Given this hypothesis answer the following two...

Question 8

The hypothesis statement, Children in elementary school who exercise at least 5 hours a week are more popular in school than children who do not exercise at least 5 hours a week, illustrates which type of hypothesis statement?
A) Null hypothesis
B) Nondirectional
C) Directional
D) Correlational

Accepted Answer

The hypothesis statement is directional as it predicts a specific relationship between exercise and popularity in school.

Question 9

Of the following, which is a quantitative research topic?
A) The purpose of the study is to study the characteristics of female students in advanced mathematics courses.
B) The purpose of this study is to examine relationships between future career goals and enrollment in advanced mathematics courses.
C) This study examines what teachers should do to enroll more female students in advanced mathematics courses.
D) The goals of this research were to describe two female students' experiences in advanced mathematics.

Accepted Answer

This option involves examining the relationship between two variables (future career goals and enrollment in advanced mathematics courses) and can be measured quantitatively. The other options involve more descriptive or interpretive research goals that may not lend themselves as easily to quantitative measurement.

Question 10

Of the following which is NOT a characteristic of a good hypothesis statement?
A) It is testable within a reasonable time frame.
B) It is supported by everyday experiences and intuition.
C) It provides a reasonable explanation for the predicted outcome.
D) It clearly states the expected relationship between the defined variables.

Accepted Answer

While a hypothesis statement should be based on previous knowledge and observations, it should not rely solely on everyday experiences and intuition. Instead, it should be grounded in scientific research and evidence.

Question 11

Which type of hypothesis involves making generalizations from observations?
A) Inductive
B) Deductive
C) Null
D) Speculative

Accepted Answer

Inductive hypothesis involves making generalizations from observations. It is based on specific observations and is used to develop a general explanation or theory.

Question 12

Which of the following is a non-directional hypothesis?
A) There are no differences in motivation between students who are given a free breakfast at school and those students who are not given breakfast at school.
B) There are differences in motivation between students who are given a free breakfast at school and those students who are not given breakfast at school.
C) Children given breakfast at school are more motivated than children who are not given breakfast at school.
D) Children given breakfast at school are less motivated than children who are not given breakfast at school.

Accepted Answer

A non-directional hypothesis simply states that there is a difference, but does not specify the direction of the difference. Option B states that there are differences in motivation between the two groups without specifying whether the motivation is higher or lower in either group.

Question 13

Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Ninth grade students enrolled in large classes who are taught algebra through the use of interleaved worked examples for each lesson perform better on an end of course test than are those taught with a single modeled example for each lesson.
-The independent variable in the above stated hypothesis is:
A) Type of instruction.
B) Ninth grade students.
C) Algebra.
D) End of course test.

Accepted Answer

The independent variable in the hypothesis is the type of instruction - whether the students are taught algebra through the use of interleaved worked examples or through a single modeled example. The other options - ninth grade students, algebra, and end of course test - are all part of the dependent variable, which is the outcome being measured.

Question 14

Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Middle school students in an urban school who are trained in discussion techniques perform better on written tests of persuasive essays than those students who are not trained in discussion techniques.
-The dependent variable in the above stated hypothesis is:
A) Urban school.
B) Training in discussion techniques.
C) Persuasive essay tests.
D) Middle school students.

Accepted Answer

The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured or tested in the hypothesis. In this case, the performance of the students on written tests of persuasive essays is the variable being measured, which makes it the dependent variable. The other options, such as urban school, training in discussion techniques, and middle school students, are independent variables that are being manipulated or studied in relation to the dependent variable.

Question 15

Of the following, which is a quantitative research topic?
A) The purpose of this study is to examine how teacher's should help students during office hours.
B) The purpose of the study is to explore the experiences of students who seek help from faculty during office hours.
C) The purpose of this study is to compare the grades of students who go to office hours and those who do not.
D) The purpose of this study is to suggest how many office hours faculty should hold each week.

Accepted Answer

Option C is a quantitative research topic because it involves comparing grades of students who go to office hours and those who do not. The data in this study can be analyzed using statistical methods to draw conclusions about the impact of going to office hours on grades. The other options (A, B, and D) are qualitative research topics because they focus on exploring experiences, examining how teachers should help students, and suggesting the number of office hours faculty should hold, respectively.

Question 16

Which of the following is a nondirectional hypothesis for the research topic, Are there differences in end of course biology test grades between those who use simulated labs and those who use traditional labs?
A) There are differences in end of course biology test grades between those taught through the use of simulated versus traditional labs.
B) There are no differences in end of course biology test grades between those taught through the use of simulated versus traditional labs.
C) Those taught in simulated labs perform better on end of course biology tests than those taught in traditional labs.
D) Those taught in traditional labs perform better on end of course biology tests than those in simulated labs.

Accepted Answer

A nondirectional hypothesis does not make a prediction about the direction of the relationship between variables. Therefore, option A is the only nondirectional hypothesis out of the options provided.

Question 17

The hypothesis statement, There are no differences in long term achievement between those who are taught through a face-to-face only class and those who are taught through blended instruction, illustrates which type of hypothesis statement?
A) Null hypothesis
B) Nondirectional
C) Directional
D) Correlational

Accepted Answer

The hypothesis statement is rejecting the notion of there being a difference between the two groups, making it a null hypothesis.

Question 18

Pedro studies inclusion. He needs to generate a directional hypothesis for his study. Which of the following is an appropriate research hypothesis for Pedro.
A) Children who are fully included do not learn in school.
B) There are no differences in student learning between children who are fully included and those who are not.
C) There are differences in learning between children who are fully included and those who are not.
D) Children who are fully included learn more than children who are not fully included.

Accepted Answer

A directional hypothesis predicts the direction of the relationship between variables. Option D predicts that children who are fully included learn more than children who are not fully included, which is a directional hypothesis. Therefore, D is the appropriate research hypothesis for Pedro.

Question 19

Of the following which is NOT part of a research topic?
A) The data collection procedures.
B) The background of the topic.
C) The significance of the study.
D) The limitations of the study.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Of the following which is NOT part...

Question 20

Given this hypothesis answer the following two questions. Middle school students in an urban school who are trained in discussion techniques perform better on written tests of persuasive essays than those students who are not trained in discussion techniques.
-The independent variable in the above stated hypothesis is:
A) Urban school.
B) Training in discussion techniques.
C) Persuasive essay tests.
D) Middle school students.

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is the one that is being manipulated in the study, which is the training in discussion techniques. The other options (urban school, persuasive essay tests, and middle school students) are either the setting or the outcome measures of the study, but not the independent variable.

Quiz 2: Selecting and Defining a Research Topic

Lindsay studies community and school relationships. She is currently working on a qualitative study in a rural school district. Which of the following is likely true of her study?

To operationalize a variable means to ___________ the variable.

Identify the independent variable in the following hypothesis. Children who are given a free breakfast at school perform better on achievement tests and are more motivated for school than are those children who are not given breakfast.

Stephanie has a research topic for her class paper. She wants to study the effects of alphabetic seating compared to other forms of class structure. She can find no research that addresses this topic. Her research advisor is likely to suggest which of the following strategies for her study.

Which of the following is a null hypothesis for the research topic Are there differences in final class grades between students who are taught psychology in a lecture format or self-paced?

Which of the following is a nondirectional hypothesis?

The hypothesis statement, Children in elementary school who exercise at least 5 hours a week are more popular in school than children who do not exercise at least 5 hours a week, illustrates which type of hypothesis statement?

Of the following, which is a quantitative research topic?

Of the following which is NOT a characteristic of a good hypothesis statement?

Which type of hypothesis involves making generalizations from observations?

Which of the following is a non-directional hypothesis?

Of the following, which is a quantitative research topic?

Which of the following is a nondirectional hypothesis for the research topic, Are there differences in end of course biology test grades between those who use simulated labs and those who use traditional labs?

The hypothesis statement, There are no differences in long term achievement between those who are taught through a face-to-face only class and those who are taught through blended instruction, illustrates which type of hypothesis statement?

Pedro studies inclusion. He needs to generate a directional hypothesis for his study. Which of the following is an appropriate research hypothesis for Pedro.

Of the following which is NOT part of a research topic?