Differentiate between the concepts of variables validity and reliability
This assignment is designed to help you differentiate between the concepts of variables, validity, and reliability, which is important information to know when evaluating.
Task 1
In each item below, you are given a brief description of a research study. For each, identify one or more independent variables (IV), and a dependent variable (DV). Remember, the independent variable is the input, the cause, the manipulation, the explanation, the treatment. The dependent variable is the effect, the output, the response, the outcome.
Study #1:
This study explored the amount of oral production errors students were able to self-correct based on the type of feedback provided by their teacher. In one class period, students received explicit correction. In another, students received recasts (their language repeated back to them, in correct form), and in a third they received metalinguistic feedback (grammatical rules given).
IV = <Insert response here.>
DV = <Insert response here.>
Study #2:
In this study, 7thgrade students were investigated on their ability to retain the grammar rules that were presented by their teacher. Two groups of students were studied. One was tested on their knowledge of grammar rules through a multiple choice assessment, and the other group was required to provide short answer responses stating grammar rules.
IV = <Insert response here.>
DV = <Insert response here.>
Study #3:
Nowadays, there is a push to utilize technology in teaching, in particular with younger learners. But can technology – or type of technology – improve students’ scores on a standardized achievement exam? One group of students utilized interactive technology in their lessons. Another group used non-interactive technology. And a third group studied the regular curriculum without any technology support at all.
IV = <Insert response here.>
DV = <Insert response here.>
Study #4
It is well known that vocabulary learning is a complex task and involves a range of skills. This study investigated the collaborative nature of vocabulary learning. The researcher observed “reading hour” in an elementary school reading program. He then trained the teacher to use group and pair activities. The teacher implemented this new approach with each subsequent reading unit, after which a vocabulary assessment was given and scores were compared with previous units’ scores which were obtained prior to the training.
IV = <Insert response here.>
DV = <Insert response here.>
Study #5
It is often believed that anxiety in learning is a detrimental trait, though researchers have proposed that some level of anxiety may actually be beneficial. It is also possible that there are differential effects of anxiety based on gender. In this study, students were given an anxiety measure and were then classified as possessing either a low, moderate, or high level anxiety. They were then given a survey which explored their self-reported perception of their emotions during a difficult math task. Results were further examined in terms of the participants’ gender.
IV = <Insert response here.>
DV = <Insert response here.>
Study #6
It has been demonstrated that pronunciation difficulties persist in second language learners’ oral production, and the English vowel system is particularly difficult to master because of its complexity. Teachers may wonder if it is better simply to engage students in “listen and repeat” efforts to improve their pronunciation, or whether it is helpful to provide articulatory explanations as well. A research study examined this issue in terms of ELD students’ production of English vowels.
IV = <Insert response here.>
DV = <Insert response here.>
Task 2
Constructs become variables when they are operationally defined—that is, defined in terms of processes or operations that can be observed and measured. Turn each of the following constructs into a variable by providing an operational definition. There may be several suitable responses for each.
Example: Personality
“Personality will be classified on a continuum ranging from introvert to extrovert. Students complete a 30-item Likert questionnaire asking about their behavior in certain situations (e.g., “At a party, are you more likely to…”). A higher score indicates introversion and a lower score indicates extroversion.”
Effectiveness (in teaching)
<Insert response here.>
Motivation (to learn math)
<Insert response here.>
Satisfaction (with a course)
<Insert response here.>
Writing Proficiency
<Insert response here.>
Task 3
Validity refers to the degree to which an instrument measures what it is supposed to measure and therefore allows appropriate interpretation of results. Which of these three types of validity is relevant to the following descriptions: Construct validity, face validity, or content validity.
1. Your dissertation explores the writing process. As part of your data collection, you use an instrument which asks students to engage in peer brainstorming before writing their essay. However, the student participants do not understand how talking to their classmates is going to improve their writing ability. To the students, brainstorming does not have what kind of validity?
<Insert response here.>
2. When reading a professional journal, you locate a dissertation from Podunk University in which the study participants’ level of anxiety was assessed based on the number of times per minute they blinked their eyes. This seems odd to you, so you turn to the study’s literature review to see what kind of theoretical support exists for this design choice. There is none. You therefore conclude that this dissertation design lacks what kind of validity?
<Insert response here.>
3. Marcus received a low score on his grammar class final exam. Upon reviewing the exam after it was returned to him, he noticed that most of the items that he missed were related to conditionals and noun clauses. However, those two chapters in the textbook were not covered in class before the semester ended. We can say that the exam lacked what kind of validity?
<Insert response here.>
Task 4
Reliability refers to whether or not an instrument consistently measures what it intends to measure over time. Match each description with the correct type of reliability:
Test-retest (stability)
Equivalent forms
Split-half
Inter-rater
Intra-rater
A. Marjorie needs to collect observational data for her dissertation. She realizes that she will get a truer picture of the class if she observes it on multiple occasions rather than on just one occasion.
<Insert response here.>
B. Cameron repeated the administration of his instrument on two different occasions and correlated the scores.
<Insert response here.>
C. Heidi has computed the scores for even and odd numbered items on her test, and then correlated them.
<Insert response here.>
D. Trevor developed a new measure of motivation. He generated two forms of the instrument. He gave one form to his class one day, and then gave the second form the next day. He then examined the scores among items on each of his instruments. He correlated the results of the tests.
<Insert response here.>
E. Marty is team-teaching a writing class. When the students submit their essays, Marty reads them and records a tentative grade. He then gives the essays to his co-teacher, who also assigns tentative grades. Marty and his co-teacher then meet to compare their evaluations and to assign a final grade.
<Insert response here.>
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