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EDUC 2421 Reading Across the Content

Evaluating Education Research

Ask the following questions when choosing research to use:

  • Does the practice or program address skills I’m interested in? Are the outcomes the same ones I am interested in?
  • Are the research study participants comparable to my students (e.g., age, ethnicity, socio-economic status, demographic location)? Were subgroups, such as children with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs) included in the sample and part of the analysis?
  • Is the research setting(s) similar to my instructional setting?
  • Is the practice or program aligned with my state and district standards?
  • Were conditions in the research similar to the ones in my setting? For instance, a study evaluating the effectiveness of a reading intervention conducted in classrooms using a collaborative teaching model may or may not reflect the conditions and resources that exist in your school.

These questions are from the following source:  

IRIS | Page 3: Considerations When Identifying or Selecting an EBP. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_01/cresource/q2/p03/#content. Accessed 9 Nov. 2022.

Evaluating the Article:  

 

Research Article Section

Information Found in the Section

What To Look For

Abstract

A brief summary of the research design, participants, and outcomes
  • Whether the setting and participants are similar to your own
  • Whether the practice or program was effective

Introduction

A literature review that can help you identify other studies that have been conducted for a given practice or program
  • Other studies with positive outcomes

Methods

An in-depth description of the study’s design, setting, participants, and implementation procedures
  • Whether the setting and participants are similar to your own
  • Description of the implementation

Results

A description of the study findings

Note: Though this section might be difficult for novice readers, the information is often summarized in a non-statistical fashion in the Discussion section.
  • Effect size (group-design studies)
  • Statistically significant effect
  • Percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) (single-case design studies)
  • Graph depicting subject’s response to the practice (single-case design studies)

 

From: IRIS | Page 7: No Suitable EBP: Now What? https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ebp_01/cresource/q2/p07/#content. Accessed 10 Nov. 2022.