Research Methods and Evaluation Flashcards

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering research methodology, ethics, sampling, experimental design, crime analysis, and evaluation research.

Research question

A testable question about a relationship between variables

Conflict of interest

Research misconduct involving having vested interests in research outcomes possibly leading to personal advantage.

Probability sampling

The sampling type in which every population element has a known, non-zero chance of selection.

Non-probability sampling

The sampling type in which some members of the population have zero chance of being selected.

Biased sample

A sample that fails to include a particular type of individual/group found in the population.

Hawthorne effect

A phenomenon in qualitative observational research where participants may change their behavior when knowingly observed.

Pretesting

Piloting or testing out a survey on a small group (ideally, of the target population) before full deployment.

Double-barreled questions

Survey questions that ask about more than one issue, making it unclear to respondents which part they should respond to.

Casual relationship

A relationship providing evidence of if & how one variable affects, causes, influences or predicts another variable.

Spurious relationship

A relationship that appears when two variables are seemingly related, but truly a third variable is the causal factor.

Association/correlation

Criteria for causation where values in the IV and values in the DV move together in a pattern.

Temporal (time) ordering

Criteria for causation where variation in the IV occurs before the variation in the DV.

Two-group Posttests only design

A true experimental design featuring random assignment of experimental & control groups, treatment, and a posttest.

Two-Group Pretest-treatment-posttest design

A true experimental design featuring a pretest, random assignment of experimental and control groups, treatment, and a posttest.

Solomon Four Group design

A true experimental design that includes a pretest, treatment, posttest group; a pretest, no treatment, posttest group; a treatment, posttest group; and a no-treatment, posttest group.

Internal validity

The degree to which a researcher can conclude a casual relationship among variables.

External Validity

The degree to which experimental findings can be generalized to other environments and populations.

Dark figure of crime

The unknown amount of victimization that goes unreported.

Stakeholders

Individuals or organizations that have a direct interest in a program being evaluated and who decide whether recommendations are implemented.

Formative evaluations

Evaluations conducted in the earliest stages of a program's development.

Needs assessment

An evaluation type that helps determine whether there is a problem and how the target population might be better served.

Process evaluation

An evaluation used to understand why a program changed over time and identify if or where problems are occurring.

Summative evaluation

An evaluation providing a summary judgment about a program used to determine continuance or termination.

Outcome evaluation

An evaluation type that measures the effectiveness of a program on a target population.

Impact evaluation

An evaluation type used to assess whether a program is achieving its designated goals.

Effective Evaluation Criteria

The four criteria of Utility, Feasibility, Propriety, and Accuracy.