The Educators of Educators: An Evaluation of Carnegie Foundation\u27s Very High Research Activity Universities\u27 Schools of Education Professors

The field of education is diverse, its history marred with politically driven problems, and its research ill-funded and often disaggregated. Indeed researchers of the past have questioned education research\u27s purpose (Kaestle, 1993) while researchers of the present doubt the field\u27s ability to evaluate properly its current researchers and research (Hedges & Hans-Martin, 2009). Therefore the purpose of this thesis was to investigate and evaluate critically who education researchers were and what type of research they produced. Using a nationally representative, stratified-random sample technique, this author distributed the Education Research Identity Survey (ERIS) electronically via email to 2,723 Schools of Education professors with the Carnegie Foundation\u27s very high research activity universities. Five hundred and forty three individuals participated (raw response rate = 19.9%, final response rate = 22.2%); most received a PhD (81%) in Education (57.1%) and held tenure (57.0%). All academic positions and epistemological backgrounds were represented. Analyses revealed several findings of interest. First, most education researchers prefer nonexperimental quantitative designs or case study qualitative designs. Second, epistemological training was strongly related to the type of research that an individual conducted as a professor. Third, MANOVA analysis revealed that after controlling for the number of years since doctoral matriculation, number of years at his or her university, and the average number of courses taught per semester a professor\u27s academic position and epistemological quantitative training were both related to the amount of journal articles the professor produced in the last five years. Finally, these conclusions follow broader previous research conducted within the field of higher education, but represent some of the first quantitative analysis within the field of education. However, since this author surveyed researchers from only one specific Carnegie type, future research is required to confirm these findings

The Use of Meta-Analytic Statistical Significance Testing

Meta-analysis multiplicity, the concept of conducting multiple tests of statistical significance within one study, is an underdeveloped literature (Tendal, Nüesch, Higgins, Jüni, & Gøtzsche, 2011). We address this issue by considering how Type I errors can impact meta-analytic results, suggest how statistical power may be affected through the use of multiplicity corrections, and propose how meta-analysts should analyze multiple tests of statistical significance. The context for this study is a meta-review of meta-analyses published in two leading review journals in education and psychology. Our review of 130 meta-analyses revealed a strong reliance on statistical significance testing without considering of Type I errors or the use of multiplicity corrections. In order to provide valid conclusions, meta-analysts must consider these issues prior to conducting the study

Addressing the Issue of Meta-Analysis Multiplicity in Education and Psychology

The concept of multiplicity, conducting multiple statistical significance tests in one study, has pervaded primary research over the last 7 decades (Hochberg & Tamhane, 1987). This continued discussion was due to the fact that multiplicity increases the probability of committing a Type 1 error (i.e., deriving a false conclusion). Little attention has been paid, unfortunately, to multiplicity in meta-analysis (Tendal, Nuesch, Higgins, Juni, & Gotzsche, 2011) and calls have been made for meta-analysis methodologists to address this critical issue (Bender et al., 2008). As such, the purpose and significance of this project was to answer these calls by formally quantifying the multiplicity of statistical test in meta-analyses published within education and psychology literature, and to ameliorate the problem of multiplicity errors through the advancement of Type 1 error corrections for meta-analyses. To accomplish this goal, this project screened all citations from Psychological Bulletin and Review of Educational Research from 1986-2011 for quantitative meta-analyses. From the citations that met inclusion criteria, 130 articles were randomly selected to code. The results revealed an alarmingly high number of statistical tests used per study (μ = 70.82, σ = 94.2, M = 46.5). A major contributor to the number of statistical tests utilized was the number of independent syntheses; the average study conducted 12.72 independent syntheses (σ = 21.26, M = 5.0). A multiple regression model predicting the number of statistical tests used per study found that the date of publication, number of studies included in the review, and the number of independent syntheses per review all were linear predictors. A second phase of the project purposively selected four reviews to investigate the potential use of Type 1 error corrections. The results provided by the review authors were compared to the results using the statistical corrections. Using the statistical corrections, an average of 3.33 conclusions would require modification. This project\u27s results indicated a community of researchers becoming more reliant on statistical significance testing while simultaneously ignoring the consequences of multiplicity. Failure to prevent further reliance on statistical significance testing in meta-analysis has the potential to prorogate the progress of cumulative science

Validation of the Employment Hope Scale: Measuring Psychological Self-Sufficiency Among Low-Income Jobseekers

The Employment Hope scale (EHS) was designed to measure the empowerment-based self-sufficiency (SS) outcome among low-income job-seeking clients. This measure captures the psychological SS dimension as opposed to the more commonly used economic SS in workforce development and employment support practice. The study validates the EHS and reports its psychometric properties. Method: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted using an agency data from the Cara Program in Chicago, United States. The principal axis factor extraction process was employed to identify the factor structure. Results: EFA resulted in a 13-item two-factor structure with Factor 1 representing “Psychological Empowerment” and Factor 2 representing “Goal-Oriented Pathways.” Both factors had high internal consistency reliability and construct validity. Conclusions: While findings may be preliminary, this study found the EHS to be a reliable and valid measure, demonstrating its utility in assessing psychological SS as an empowerment outcome among low-income jobseekers

Religion, Delinquency, and Drug Use: A Meta-Analysis

Contemporary research on adolescent involvement in religion and delinquency is generally traced to Hirschi and Stark’s 1969 study, titled ‘‘Hellfire and Delinquency.’’ Their study surprised many by reporting no significant relationship between religious involvement and delinquency. Subsequent replications provided mixed results, but multiple reviews, both traditional and systematic, found religious involvement to be inversely related to delinquency. However, meta-analysis of the relationship remains scant with only three studies published to date. To address this research need, we conducted a meta-analysis of 62 relevant studies over four decades, which provided 145 effect sizes from 193,656 adolescents. We examined six bivariate correlations between two, attitudinal and behavioral, measures of religious involvement (religiosity and church attendance) and three indicators of delinquent behavior (alcohol use, illicit drug use, and nondrug delinquency). Our meta-analysis results indicated an inverse relationship among all correlations (range: -.16 to -.22). Stated differently, the results of this meta-analysis confirmed that religious involvement is negatively related to delinquent behaviors, regardless of measurement characteristics. The implications of this finding for future research on religion and delinquency are discussed

The Question of School Resources and Student Achievement: A History and Reconsideration

One question posed continually over the past century of education research is to what extent school resources affect student outcomes. From the turn of the century to the present, a diverse set of actors, including politicians, physicians, and researchers from a number of disciplines, have studied whether and how money that is provided for schools translates into increased student achievement. The authors discuss the historical origins of the question of whether school resources relate to student achievement, and report the results of a meta- analysis of studies examining that relationship. They find that policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders have addressed this question using diverse strategies. The way the question is asked, and the methods used to answer it, is shaped by history, as well by the scholarly, social, and political concerns of any given time. The diversity of methods has resulted in a body of literature too diverse and too inconsistent to yield reliable inferences through meta-analysis. The authors suggest that a collaborative approach addressing the question from a variety of disciplinary and practice perspectives may lead to more effective interventions to meet the needs of all students

Breastfeeding Practices Among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

Background. Breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of obesity in the early and adult years. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) experience high rates of obesity which is often obfuscated with aggregated data. Using disaggregated data, we examined breastfeeding practices among NHPI. Methods. Seven databases and reference lists were searched. Two independent researchers extracted relevant studies based on predetermined criteria. Nine studies met our inclusion criteria and a meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects, inverse-various weighted models. Results. Few studies disaggregated NHPI populations when examining breastfeeding practices. Most studies were cross-sectional and our search yielded no randomized or quasirandomized control trials. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that 46.5% NHPI women initiated breastfeeding with 40.8% breastfeeding exclusively. These pooled analyses show that NHPI breastfeeding practices are below the recommended national and international goals and guidelines. Conclusion. Breastfeeding practices among NHPI are heterogeneous and critical disparities exist among certain NHPI subgroups and additional research needs to be conducted to determine the reasons for the disparity. Future studies should work to disaggregate data for NHPI and the various subpopulations. Multicomponent, multilevel strategies are needed to support breastfeeding practices among NHPI

Breastfeeding Practices among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders

Background. Breastfeeding is associated with a decreased risk of obesity in the early and adult years. Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) experience high rates of obesity which is often obfuscated with aggregated data. Using disaggregated data, we examined breastfeeding practices among NHPI. Methods. Seven databases and reference lists were searched. Two independent researchers extracted relevant studies based on predetermined criteria. Nine studies met our inclusion criteria and a meta-analysis was conducted using random-effects, inverse-various weighted models. Results. Few studies disaggregated NHPI populations when examining breastfeeding practices. Most studies were cross-sectional and our search yielded no randomized or quasirandomized control trials. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that 46.5% NHPI women initiated breastfeeding with 40.8% breastfeeding exclusively. These pooled analyses show that NHPI breastfeeding practices are below the recommended national and international goals and guidelines. Conclusion. Breastfeeding practices among NHPI are heterogeneous and critical disparities exist among certain NHPI subgroups and additional research needs to be conducted to determine the reasons for the disparity. Future studies should work to disaggregate data for NHPI and the various subpopulations. Multicomponent, multilevel strategies are needed to support breastfeeding practices among NHPI