Glossary: Research

Effect Size

The amount of change in a dependent variable that can be attributed to manipulations of the independent variable. A large effect size exists when the value of the dependent variable is strongly influenced by the independent variable. It is the mean difference on a variable between experimental and control groups divided by the standard deviation on that variable of the pooled groups or of the control group alone.

Electronic Text

A paper text that has been copied into an electronic medium.

Emancipatory Research

Research is conducted on and with people from marginalized groups or communities. It is led by a researcher or research team who is either an indigenous or external insider; is interpreted within intellectual frameworks of that group; and, is conducted largely for the purpose of empowering members of that community and improving services for them. It also engages members of the community as co-constructors or validators of knowledge. Also called community-determined research.

Emic

An approach to the study or description of a language or culture that focuses on its internal elements and logic and their functioning rather than in terms of any existing external scheme. The term can also refer to the native explanation for a behavior or cultural pattern. The video below will help you to understand the differences between emic and etic perspectives as they are understood by cultural anthropologists.

Empathic Neutrality

A quality of qualitative researchers who strive to be non-judgmental when compiling findings as to avoid bias and as an ethical consideration

Empirical Research

The process of developing systematized knowledge gained from observations that are formulated to support insights and generalizations about the phenomena through direct observation or experimentation.

Epistemology

Theory of knowledge that questions how we know things, how knowledge is constructed, and what constitutes valid knowledge.

Equivalency Reliability

The extent to which two items measure identical concepts at an identical level of difficulty.

Ethnography

Method for studying study groups and/or cultures over an extended period of time using a variety of qualitative (and sometimes quantitative) research techniques. Ethnography employs participant observation The goal of this type of research is to comprehend the particular group/culture through immersion into the culture or group and participant observation. Since the researcher is immersed within the group for an extended period of time, detailed information is usually collected.

Ethnomethodology

A sociological perspective and research methodology that focuses on the study of everyday social interactions and the methods through which individuals create and maintain social order. It was developed by sociologist Harold Garfinkel in the 1960s. A form of ethnography that studies activities of group members to see how they make sense of their surroundings.

Etic

An outsider approach to the study or description of a language or culture that is general, nonstructural, and objective in its perspective. It is typically explanations for behavior from the perspective of the scientist/researcher observing a culture or language.

Existence or Frequency

This is a key question in the coding process, the researcher must decide if he/she is going to count a concept only once, for existence, no matter how many times it appears, or if he/she will count it each time it occurs.

Expectancy Effect

Any unconscious or conscious cues that convey to the participant in a study how the researcher wants them to respond. Expecting someone to behave in a particular way has been shown to promote the expected behavior. Expectancy effects and bias can be minimized by using standardized interactions with subjects, automated data-gathering methods, and double blind protocols. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle explores this concept in physics

Experimental Research

A scientific investigation or study designed to test a hypothesis, answer a research question, or explore cause-and-effect relationships. A researcher working within this methodology creates an environment in which to observe and interpret the results of a research question. A key element in experimental research is that participants in a study are randomly assigned to groups. Groups are treated differently and measurements are conducted to determine if different treatments appear to lead to different effects.

External Validity

The extent to which the results of a study are generalizable or transferable.