Glossary: Research
Confounding Variable
An unforeseen, and unaccounted-for variable that influences the variables, jeopardizing the reliability and validity of an experiment's outcome.
Construct
Something that exists theoretically but is not directly observable or, a theoretical definition in which concepts are defined in terms of other concepts. For example, intelligence cannot be directly observed or measured making it a construct.
Construct Validity
Construct validity evaluates whether a measurement instrument effectively captures the underlying theoretical construct it is intended to assess. Seeks an agreement between a theoretical concept and a specific measuring device, such as observation.
Constructivism
The theoretical perspective that the idea of reality is socially constructed. It claims that reality cannot be understood outside of the way humans interpret surroundings and interact and that the idea that knowledge is constructed, not discovered. Constructivists believe that learning is more active and self-directed than either behaviorism or cognitive theory would say.
Content Analysis
A systematic, objective, and quantitative research method used to systematically analyze the content of textual, audio, visual, or multimedia data in order to identify patterns, themes, trends, or meanings within the material.
Content Validity
The extent to which a measurement instrument (e.g., questionnaire or survey) reflects the content it is intended to measure.
Context sensitivity
Awareness by a qualitative researcher of factors such as values, beliefs, specific circumstances, norms, expectations, and social cues present in a given context that influence cultural behaviors.
Continuous Variable
A variable that may have fractional or decimal values, e.g., height, temperature, weight and time. Unlike discrete/whole variables, there are no gaps or discontinuities between values.
Control Group
The group in an experimental design that receives either no treatment or a different treatment from the experimental group. This group can thus be compared to the experimental group to measure how much of an impact the treatment makes.
Controlled Experiment
An experimental design with a control group and one or more experimental groups in which the researcher controls or introduces the independent variable and measures the dependent variable at least two times.
Convergent Validity
Used in research to evaluate the degree to which different independent measurement instruments or methods are theoretically supposed to measure the same aspect produce similar or closely related results from a data set.
Correlation
A non-cause and effect relationship between two variables: a common statistical analysis, usually abbreviated as r, which measures the degree of relationship between pairs of interval variables in a sample. The range of correlation is from -1.00 to zero to +1.00.
Covariate
A variable that is considered to have an effect on the outcome of interest in a research study. A product of the correlation of two related variables times their standard deviations. Used in true experiments to measure the difference of treatment between them.
Credibility
A researcher's ability to demonstrate that the object of a study is accurately identified and described based on the manner and efforts taken to ensure accuracy in which the study was conducted.
Criterion Related Validity
Also referred to as instrumental validity, criterion related validity is used to demonstrate the accuracy of a measuring procedure by comparing it with another procedure which has been demonstrated to be valid. This process demonstrates the practical utility and predictive accuracy of a measurement instrument.
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