1. Chapter 5 Interpreting and Summarizing Published Research
Introduction to Educational Research (7th ed.) Craig A. Mertler & C.M. Charles
Chapter 5
Interpreting and Summarizing
Published Research
This ppt was adapted by Anne René Elsbree for use in EDUC 622. Use it as a resource to understand the book.
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Mertler & Charles Intro. to Ed'l. Research -- Chapter 1

2. Reading Research Reports
Skim to quickly examine nature of study and conclusions
Begin with abstracts, summaries
Title and introductions
Scan Findings, Conclusions, and Discussion
Summarize the report; include the following:
Topic
Subjects
Basic methods
Results
Complete bibliographic citation

3. Interpreting Statistical Information
Three types of research questions/findings:
Status—describes people, places, etc. as they currently exist
Comparison—examines differences between two or more groups
Covarying relationships—examination of relationships that will permit predictions

4. Interpreting Statistical Information (cont’d.)
Status reports (qualitative, survey research):
Often make use of raw data
Utilize statistics that indicate:
Typicality (mean, median, mode)
Spread or diversity (range, standard deviation)
Conversion or transformation (z-scores, percentile ranks, grade equivalents, etc.)
Mertler & Charles Intro. to Ed'l. Research -- Chapter 5

5. Interpreting Statistical Information (cont’d.)
Comparison reports (evaluation, causal-comparative, experimental research):
Utilize statistics including:
Chi-square (c2)—when data are counts or categories; used to determine if difference exists between two groups
t-Test—when measures are scores; used to determine whether difference exists between two groups based on means
Analysis of variance or ANOVA (F-ratio)—when measures are scores; used to determine whether differences exist between three or more groups based on variability of scores about the means

6. Interpreting Statistical Information (cont’d.)
Correlational reports (correlational research):
Utilize statistics including:
Pearson correlation coefficient (r)—when measures are scores; used to determine degree of relationship between variables, ranging from to +1.00
Many other additional measures of correlation exist

7. The Concept of (Statistical) Significance
Significant—whether or not a topic is worthy of investigation
Significance—a.k.a., “statistical significance;” interpreted as “it is very likely that the findings we observed in the sample also exist in the population”
Alpha level (a) determines the likelihood, or probability
Traditional values are .05 & .01

8. Applying Technology… Web sites to aid in writing a literature review
Purdue University Online Writing Lab (owl.english.purdue.edu/oldindex.html)
Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association (
Mertler & Charles Intro. to Ed'l. Research -- Chapter 5