Glossary: Research

Randomization/ Random Sampling

The process of randomly assigning participants or units to different experimental conditions or treatment groups. The primary purpose of randomization is to ensure that each participant is allocated randomly to experimental and control groups.

Range

The difference between the highest and lowest scores in a distribution. Range= Highest score- Lowest score

Reliability

The extent to which a measure, method or instrument yields the same result on repeated trials. Reliability is a prerequisite for validity. If a data collection approach is unreliable, then it cannot produce trustworthy results.

Representative Sample

A sample in which the participants closely match the characteristics of the population, and thus, all segments of the population are represented in the sample. A representative sample allows results to be generalized from the sample to the population.

Response Rate

In survey research, the percentage of questionnaires completed and returned out of total sent out.

Rhetorical Inquiry

Seeks to understand how language, symbols, and persuasion are used to shape meaning, influence attitudes, and construct social realities.The process entails identifying a motivational concern, posing questions, engaging in a heuristic search, creating a new theory or hypotheses, and justifying the theory.

Rigor

Degree to which research methods are scrupulously and meticulously carried out in order to recognize important influences occurring in a experiment.