Essentials of Educational Psychology Big Ideas To Guide Effective Teaching, 6th Edition Jeanne Ellis by TBtutors

Type:

Test Bank

Essentials of Educational Resource: Psychology Big Ideas To Guide Effective Teaching Edition:

6th Edition

Author(s):

Jeanne Ormrod Brett D. Jones

Using the Test Item Files Test item files are assessment banks designed to assist instructors in providing high quality assessments that allow students to demonstrate their knowledge of—and ability to apply—key chapter content. To accommodate different platforms, test item files are available (and importable) for the following Learning Management System (LMS) formats: • • • •

Blackboard Canvas D2L Moodle

Note: The Word document versions of the test item file are separated by chapter and include every item that is provided in the LMS-compatible file. If your campus does not use one of the platforms listed above, or if you wish to administer assessments on paper, you can copy and paste items from the word document versions to create your own assignments, quizzes, or tests. Use caution when copy/pasting assessment items—you will want to remove any text that indicates the correct answer.

Assessment Item Types Below you will find descriptions of possible assessment item types. Assessment Type

Format

Description

Multiple Choice

Learning outcome (LO) quizzes are designed to assess the learner’s comprehension of key learning outcomes within a chapter. Each chapter learning outcome will have a dedicated LO quiz. To help guide learning, feedback is provided for both the correct and incorrect answer choices.

Application Exercises

Short Answer/Essay (usually) Multiple Choice (at times)

Application exercises are designed to give learners the opportunity to practice applying the content and strategies from the chapter. These exercises can be video-based, written case/scenario-based, or based on an artifact (e.g., assessment results, student work, research article, etc.). Feedback is provided in the form of a model response to give the student guidance on the accuracy of their response, and also to assist the instructor in grading the response.

Chapter Test

Multiple Choice Short Answer/Essay

Learning Outcome Quizzes

Chapter tests can be used to assess students' learning after all chapter readings and assignments have been completed.

Licensure Exam Practice (Included in select titles only)

Video Observation and Analysis Exercises

Multiple Choice Short Answer/Essay

Licensure exam practice exercises are modeled after questions found on teacher licensure tests, and are meant to help readers prepare for their certification exams. Short answer questions include feedback in the form of a model response.

Short Answer/Essay

These exercises help teacher candidates learn how to effectively observe and analyze teaching. While observing an authentic classroom video, students use a rubric to guide their analysis of the teacher in the video, while also making timestamped comments that identify specific events in the video that align to the criteria being evaluated. Feedback is provided in the form of a model response that includes relevant time stamps and events, as well as the suggested rubric rating from a subject matter expert.

(Included in select titles only)

Pearson eText Some of the assessment items within Application Exercises may require access to the Pearson eText version of this title. Within the eText you will find embedded video examples and/or classroom artifacts that provide the background information required to answer these questions. Assessment items that require eText content will include one of the following notes as part of the question stem or prompt: • •

Use Pearson eText Video Example X.X to answer the following question… Use Pearson eText Artifact X.X to answer the following question…

If you are an instructor and need access to the Pearson eText, contact your sales representative: https://www.pearson.com/us/contact-us/find-your-rep.html.

Exercise Naming Conventions Below you will find examples of how exercises in the test item file have been named, along with an explanation for what each component represents. Examples: • • • • • •

01 Learning Outcome Quiz 1.1 01 Learning Outcome Quiz 1.2 01 Application Exercise 1.1 01 Application Exercise 1.2 01 Chapter Test 1 02 Learning Outcome Quiz 2.1, etc.

In the above examples, the first number (e.g., 01) indicates the assessment is aligned with Chapter 1. The second term (e.g., Learning Outcome Quiz) indicates the assessment type. The final number indicates the sequence numbering within the chapter. For example, if there are three Learning Outcome Quizzes in Chapter 1, they will be numbered 1.1, 1.2, and 1.3. The first number (1) represents the chapter number, and the second number (1, 2, and 3) represents the sequence within the chapter. Based on these naming conventions, the first Learning Outcome Quiz in chapter two would be named 02 Learning Outcome Quiz 2.1 (see final bullet above).

Importing and Using Test Item Files in Your Learning Management System Below you will find instructions for importing LMS-compatible files into your campus learning platform (Blackboard, Canvas, D2L, or Moodle). Your campus might be using a version of the learning platform software that is different from the one that was used when creating these instructions. This could lead to slight mismatches between the instructions and what you are seeing on your screen. If you encounter problems with the import process, please try contacting your campus LMS administrator for assistance. If you are still unable to import the file, please contact your sales representative (https://www.pearson.com/us/contact-us/find-your-rep.html). Note: The import steps detailed below assume that you: 1) have already created your course shell within your learning platform, and 2) have already downloaded the importable test item file from the Pearson website.

Blackboard Note: There will be two Blackboard-compatible .zip files available on the Pearson website: a “Pool” file, and a “Test” file. Be sure you are aware of which file you downloaded, and the differences between these two options (described in Step 2 below). 1. In the left navigation menu of your course shell, select Course Tools > Tests, Surveys, and Pools. 2. Select one of the following options (do not use Surveys): a. Pools (recommended) b. Tests Pools: The ‘Pools’ option imports each assessment as a set of questions that can be added to any test you create within your course. This function is useful for storing questions and creating question sets for more than one test. You will also be able to vet each question before including it on a test. In short, pools provide the most flexibility in terms of how you implement the assessment content. Tests: The ‘Tests’ option imports each assessment as a pre-built test. This means an individual test will be automatically generated (upon import) for each learning outcome quiz, application exercise, and chapter test. A created test must be deployed within a content folder before students can take the test.

3. Below you fill find next steps for both options: Pools and Tests. a. If you selected Pools: 1. Select Import Pool. 2. Select Browse My Computer and locate the file you downloaded. The file should have the word “Pool” somewhere in the file name (e.g., BB_Pool_AuthorName). Import this file in the .zip format; do not unzip or extract the files. 3. Once you have selected the correct file, select Submit. It might take your browser a few moments to import the file, but you should receive a message that reads ‘Pool Import Complete’. On this same screen, you may receive a message that warns of possible system incompatibilities. You can disregard this message. 4. To create a test using the imported pool, select Content in the left navigation menu of your course shell, then select Assessments > Test. 5. Select Create to create a new test. Enter a name for the test (required), description (optional), and instructions (optional). Select Submit. 6. Select Reuse Question > Create Question Set. A dialog box will open with all of the imported assessments available in the left navigation under ‘Pools’. 7. Select the check box next to one of the assessments to display all of the questions within that assessment. From here you can vet each question and select which questions (using the check box next to each question) to include on your test. You can select multiple assessments in the left navigation to create your test. For example, you could use create a test using content from three different sources: learning outcome quiz, application exercises, and a chapter test. 8. Once you have selected all of the questions you wish to include on your test, select Submit. 9. The next screen allows you to select how many questions to display for each student and the point value for each question. Once you have entered your desired settings, select OK. The test is now available in the ‘Create Test’ screen. When you are ready to deploy the test, select it from the ‘Add an Existing Test’ menu, then select Submit. 10. The next screen allows you to modify your test settings including availability and due dates. Once you have selected your desired settings,

select Submit. The test now shows up in your Content folder. b.

If you selected Tests: 1. Select Import Test. 2. Select Browse My Computer and locate the file you downloaded. The file should have the word “Test” somewhere in the file name (e.g., BB_Test_AuthorName). Import this file in the .zip format; do not unzip or extract the files. 3. Once you have selected the correct file, select Submit. It might take your browser a few moments to import the file, but you should receive a message that reads ‘Test Import Complete’. 4. To create a test using the imported test files, select Content in the left navigation menu of your course shell, then select Assessments > Test. 5. Each assessment is now available in the ‘Add an Existing Test’ menu on the ‘Create Test’ screen. Select which assessment you would like to use as your test, then select Submit. 6. The next screen allows you to modify your test settings including availability and due dates. Once you have selected your desired settings, select Submit. The test now shows up in your Content folder.

Canvas 1. Prior to working in Canvas, be sure to “unzip” the (.zip) Canvas file that you downloaded from the Pearson website. The file you will be importing has a .imscc extension at the end of the file name. 2. In the left navigation menu of your Canvas course shell, select Settings. 3. From the settings screen, select Import Course Content. 4. On the next screen, choose the following settings: a. Content Type: Select Canvas Course Export Package. b. Source: Use the Choose File button to locate the file you downloaded. The file should have a .imscc extension at the end of the file name (e.g., Canvas_AuthorName_imscc). If you did not already unzip the file as described in Step 1. You will need to do it now in order to access the .imscc file. c. Content: Choose the Select specific content radio button. This will allow you the greatest flexibility in terms of how to implement the assessment content.

Warning: If you select ‘All content’, each assessment will be automatically imported into the ‘Assignments’ tab which may be visible to students. This option is not recommended. d. Options: Leave this box unchecked. Once you have selected the above settings, select Import. 5. It might take your browser a few moments to import the file. Once the initial import process is complete, you will see a message under ‘Current Jobs’ that reads ‘Waiting for Selection’. Click the Select Content button. 6. A dialog box will open. Check the boxes that appear next to Course Settings and Question Banks. Importing the package as a question bank allows you to store questions and create question groups for more than one quiz. Warning: If you select Modules, Assignments, or Quizzes in this step, each assessment will automatically be imported into those folders which may be visible to students. This option is not recommended. 7. Once you have selected the boxes described in Step 6, click the Select Content button. The import process will run again, and the status will eventually read ‘Completed’. 8. To create a quiz: a. Select Quizzes in the left navigation menu of your course shell. b. Select the +Quiz button. By default, you will be brought to the ‘Details’ tab where you can determine the settings for the quiz you are creating. Once you have determined your settings, select the Questions tab. c. Select Find Questions. A dialog box will open with all of the imported assessments available on the left. Selecting one of these items will display all of the questions within the assessment on the main portion of the screen. d. From here you have two options for adding questions to your quiz: Add questions to the question group: Question groups allow you to generate a quiz with a set number of questions pulled from a larger group of questions. Use this option when you want each student to have a unique set of questions. 1. Select the question(s) you wish to add to the question group by checking the box next to each question. Use the drop-down menu to select [New Group]. Enter the following: a name for the question group, how many questions you would like to be pulled from the question group, and how many points you would like each question to be worth. Select Create Group. The questions you selected have now been added to your newly created question group.

2. Select Find Questions again, then repeat the previous step by selecting a different assessment from the menu on the left. This time, you will select the question group you created in the previous step to add more questions to the group. After choosing the question group from the dropdown menu, select Add Questions. 3. Repeat the previous step until you have added all of the questions you wish to include in the question group. Add questions directly to the quiz (without using a question group): Use this option when you want each student to have the same set of questions. 1. After selecting Find Questions (as described in step 8c above), select one of the assessments listed on the left side of the dialog box. This will display all of the questions within the assessment on the main portion of the screen. 2. Select the question(s) you wish to add to the question group by checking the box next to each question. Leave the drop-down menu on the default setting [No Group]. Then select Add Selected Questions. 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you have added all of the questions you wish to include on your quiz. 9. Once you have finished adding questions (or question groups) to your quiz, select Save or Save & Publish.

D2L (by Brightspace) 1. Within your course shell, select the ‘Edit Course’ tab, then under ‘Site Resources’ select Import/Export/Copy Components. 2. On the next screen, select the radio button labeled ‘Import Components’, then select Start. 3. An ‘Import Course Package’ dialog box will open. Select Upload then locate the file you downloaded from the Pearson website. Import this file in the .zip format; do not unzip or extract the files. Once you have selected the file, select Advanced Options. After the ‘Preprocessing’ upload is complete, select Continue. 4. On the next screen under ‘Select Components to Import’, you will see three options: • Question Library • Quizzes • Course Appearance (disregard this option) Question Library: This option imports each assessment as a set of questions that can be added to any quiz you create within your course. This function is

useful for storing questions for more than one quiz. You will also be able to vet each question before including it on a test. In short, the question library option provides the most flexibility in terms of how you implement the assessment content. Quizzes: The ‘Quizzes’ option imports each assessment as a pre-built quiz. This means an individual test will be automatically generated (upon import) for each learning outcome quiz, application exercise, and chapter test. A created quiz must be deployed within a content folder before students can take the quiz. Note: You may choose to select both of these options if you would like the assessments to import as pre-built quizzes and import the question library for future use. Select one or both of these options (Question Library and/or Quizzes), and leave the fields to the default settings. Select Continue. 5. The next screen will ask you to confirm your import selections. Once you have reviewed your selections and settings. Select Continue. A dialog box will open and the import process will run (this may take a few moments). Once the import process is complete, select View Content. 6. If you imported the package as “Quizzes”, you can find the pre-built quizzes under Assessments > Quizzes. From here you will need to edit the quiz settings to publish the assignment before students can take the quiz. If you imported the package as a ‘Question Library’, follow these steps to create a quiz using questions in the library: a. Under Assessments > Quizzes, select New Quiz. b. Add a quiz ‘Name’, then under ‘Quiz Questions’ select Add/Edit Questions. c. On the next screen, select the Import drop-down menu, then select Browse Question Library. d. The next screen provides a list of assessments. The triangle on the left allows you to expand the assessment to see the different questions within the assessment. The spy glass icon to the right of each question allows you to preview the individual question. e. Use the checkboxes to select individual questions. You can also check the box next to each assessment to include all questions within that particular assessment. Once you have selected all of your questions, select Import. You should see a summary of the items you imported into your quiz. Select ‘Back to Settings for [Quiz Name] to return to your quiz settings page.

From the quiz settings page, edit any other settings as desired. If you would like to add more questions, simply select Add/Edit Questions again and repeat steps c-e above.

g. Once you have edited your quiz settings, select Save or Save and Close. Your quiz is now created and will publish based on your selected settings.

Moodle 1. Within your course shell, select the ‘Settings’ (gear) icon to open up the settings dropdown menu, then select More. 2. On the next screen, under ‘Question bank’ select Import. 3. On the next screen, under ‘File format’ select the radio button labeled Blackboard. Note: This is not a typo. Although the file you download from the Pearson website is listed as a “Moodle” file, the format (.zip) is compatible with the “Blackboard” option during the import process. 4. Under ‘Import questions from file’, select the Choose a file button. A dialog box will open, where you will select Choose File to locate the test item file you have already downloaded from the Pearson website. Import this file in the .zip format; do not unzip or extract the files. Once you have selected the file, select the Upload this file button. The dialog box will close and return you to the previous screen. Select Import. 5. The next screen displays a preview of each question that was imported. Select Continue at the bottom of this screen. 6. The question bank has now been imported and you are ready to create your quiz. Return to the home screen of your course shell and select the Turn editing on button (if it is not already selected). 7. Each course module should now display several editing options. Select Add an activity or resource within the module where you would like to assign a quiz. A dialog box will open with several options, select Quiz. 8. Enter a name for your quiz, and select other desired settings such as availability dates, time limit, etc. Once you are finished choosing settings, select Save and return to course. 9. The quiz will now appear in the module. Click on the quiz you created; you will notice a message that reads ‘No questions have been added yet’. Select Edit quiz.

10. On the next screen select the Add drop-down menu, then select + from question bank. 11. A dialog box will open. Click on the drop-down menu next to ‘Select a category’. You should see a list of each assessment you imported in step 4 above. Select one of the assessments from this list to preview the questions that are included within the assessment. 12. Check the box next to each question you would like to include on the quiz, then select Add selected questions to the quiz. 13. Repeat steps 10-12 until you have added all of the questions you would like to include on your quiz.

-END OF INSTRUCTIONS-

Chapter 1 Test Item File Brett D. Jones

Essentials of Educational Psychology Big Ideas to Guide Effective Teaching Sixth Edition

Jeanne Ellis Ormrod University of Northern Colorado, Emerita

Brett D. Jones Virginia Tech

This work is protected by United States copyright laws and is provided solely for the use of instructors in teaching their courses and assessing student learning. Dissemination or sale of any part of this work (including on the World Wide Web) will destroy the integrity of the work and is not permitted. The work and materials from it should never be made available to students except by instructors using the accompanying text in their classes. All recipients of this work are expected to abide by these restrictions and to honor the intended pedagogical purposes and the needs of other instructors who rely on these materials. Sponsoring Editor: Rebecca Fox-Gieg Content Producer: Janelle Rogers Supplement Project Manager: Vanitha Puela, Straive Copyright © 2023, 2018, 2015 by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates, 221 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise. For information regarding permissions, request forms, and the appropriate contacts within the Pearson Education Global Rights and Permissions department, please visit www.pearsoned.com/permissions/. PEARSON and ALWAYS LEARNING are exclusive trademarks owned by Pearson Education, Inc. or its affiliates, in the United States, and/or other countries. Unless otherwise indicated herein, any third-party trademarks, logos, or icons that may appear in this work are the property of their respective owners, and any references to third-party trademarks, logos, icons, or other trade dress are for demonstrative or descriptive purposes only. Such references are not intended to imply any sponsorship, endorsement, authorization, or promotion of Pearson’s products by the owners of such marks, or any relationship between the owner and Pearson Education, Inc., or its affiliates, authors, licensees, or distributors.

ISBN-10: 0-13-681761-0 ISBN-13: 978-0-13-681761-1

Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction to Educational Psychology

Learning Outcome Quizzes

Application Exercises

Case Study Practice Exercises

Test Items

Test Answer Key

Chapter 1: Introduction to Educational Psychology Chapter 1 Learning Outcome Quizzes Learning Outcome 1.1: Effective teachers continually work to enhance their professional knowledge and skills. [Q1] Which one of the following examples best illustrates the use of pedagogical content knowledge in a classroom? 1. Whenever Ms. Miller observes one of her students bullying or in some other way disparaging a classmate, she insists that the guilty student write a heartfelt letter of apology to the victim. 2. When talking with his students on the first day of the school year, Mr. Moore explains why it is so important for them to complete their homework assignments every night. 3. To help make history “come alive” for his students, Mr. Perez sometimes has his students role-play particular events, with different students playing different historical figures. [correct] 4. When Ms. Svenson writes her lesson plans for the following week, she makes sure that she includes at least 15 minutes of student practice time in each lesson. [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] Although this strategy might potentially reduce bullying behaviors in some students, it doesn’t necessarily help students acquire new knowledge and skills related to classroom subject matter. [Feedback for Answer Choice 2] His explanation might potentially increase homework completion rates for some students, especially if the teacher identifies reasons why doing homework can help students learn and achieve. However, it is at best only a vague, general classroom strategy that doesn’t target any particular academic topics or skill areas. [Feedback for Correct Answer 3] Pedagogical content knowledge comprises knowledge of strategies for teaching particular academic topics and skills. Here the teacher is using a discipline-specific strategy-role-playing historical events-for helping students acquire a better understanding of certain aspects of history. [Feedback for Answer Choice 4] In some instances, well-constructed practice exercises can help students acquire new knowledge and skills. However, as described here, this strategy is too general to qualify as pedagogical content knowledge, which is specifically related to teaching particular academic topics and skills. [Q2] Which one of the following four alternatives best illustrates inclusion as educators use the term? 1. Ashley, who has a severe and highly contagious case of hepatitis, is home-schooled by a special tutor provided by the school district.

2. Brian, a sixth grader who has exceptionally poor reading skills, is in a class especially designed for students with learning disabilities. 3. Carter, a 10-year-old with significantly delayed cognitive development, spends most or all of each day with a special education teacher, but he occasionally joins a regular second-grade class for art or music. 4. Darla, who is blind, is in the regular classroom for most or all of each school day; she has her reading materials tape-recorded or printed in Braille. [correct] [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] Ashley is not currently a member of a general education classroom-that is, a classroom that includes nondisabled students and (if applicable) one or more students with disabilities. [Feedback for Answer Choice 2] Brian is not currently a member of a general education classroom-that is, a classroom that includes nondisabled students and (if applicable) one or more students with disabilities. [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] Although Carter occasionally joins a “specials” class, he does not regularly participate in a general education classroom. [Feedback for Correct Answer 4] Darla is a genuine member of a general education classroom, with specific adaptations to address her special educational needs. [Q3] Which one of the following examples is the best illustration of high teacher self-efficacy? 1. Ms. Smith feels confident that she can help struggling students master important concepts and skills. [correct] 2. Ms. Emory thinks that some of her fellow faculty members are using “old-fashioned” teaching methods that research has revealed to be ineffective in helping students learn. 3. Mr. Evans takes pride in his own active involvement in local governmental decision-making groups outside of school. 4. When reflecting back after his first year of teaching, Mr. Walton worries that his lessons and activities may not have been sufficiently challenging for his high-ability students. [Feedback for Correct Answer 1] The concept of self-efficacy refers to one’s self-confidence that one is capable of executing certain behaviors or reaching certain goals. Here the teacher is showing confidence that she can help her struggling students. [Feedback for Answer Choice 2] This teacher’s belief, whether accurate or not, does not specifically reflect her beliefs about her own teaching effectiveness. [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] This teacher possibly has high self-efficacy regarding his contributions to his local community, but we know nothing about his self-efficacy in the classroom. 2 Copyright © 2023, 2018, 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[Feedback for Answer Choice 4] This teacher’s self-reflections are to be commended, but we have no information about his level of confidence in adjusting his instructional strategies to meet high-ability students’ needs in subsequent years. [Q4] Which one of the following alternatives best illustrates a professional learning community? 1. Several teachers at a middle school travel together to a regional professional teachers’ conference, where they split up and each attend sessions about topics about which they are each personally interested. 2. Different teachers in any single school district typically have differing salaries, depending on both (a) how many college degrees and specialized credentials they have earned and (b) how many years of teaching experience they have accumulated. 3. A high school has a large, well-furnished teachers’ lounge where teachers can take a break during open times in their class schedule; here they can grab a snack or cup of coffee and relax before their next class or other official duties. 4. Teachers at an elementary school agree on the instructional goals that students should ideally achieve at each grade level, and teachers of any particular grade will regularly communicate and coordinate their efforts. [correct] [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] These teachers are pursuing their unique interests; there is no mention of any crosscommunication about what they are learning at the conference or how they might coordinate their teaching efforts after returning to their classrooms. [Feedback for Answer Choice 2] There is no evidence to indicate that the teachers share common goals for students’ learning or collaborate in a school- or district-wide effort to enhance students’ academic development and achievement. [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] Teacher lounges are excellent places where teachers can work together as part of a professional learning community. In this situation, however, there is no evidence that teachers are communicating with one another or collaborating in any way. [Feedback for Correct Answer 4] Professional learning communities typically involve common visions for students’ learning and achievement, as well as regular cross-communication and collaboration among faculty members. [Q5] Which one of the following alternatives best illustrates the key elements of action research? 1. In an effort to assess how effectively she is working with individual students, Ms. Borelli asks a professional colleague to sit and observe her class for one entire school day. Every 10 minutes, the colleague makes notes on a seating chart regarding (a) which students are on task, (b) what activity each student is engaged in, and (c) where Ms. Borelli herself is located in the classroom. 3 Copyright © 2023, 2018, 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

2. Mr. Nguyen’s class records show that some of his students are completing fewer than half of their nightly homework assignments. After reading a few journal articles about effective versus ineffective homework tasks, he begins to shorten his homework assignments and make the tasks more inherently enjoyable. When he reviews his class records a month later, he finds that most students are now regularly doing their homework. [correct] 3. Mr. Baxter has become quite annoyed with the many announcements that are broadcast over the school’s loudspeaker system each day. He reads as much research literature as he can find about the negative impacts of interruptions on student’s classroom achievement, integrates what he has learned into a 10-page summary, and delivers it to the school principal. A week later, the principal brings the issue up at a school faculty meeting and asks for ideas about how her office might better communicate important information to students. 4. In her teacher education program, Ms. Dennehy has previously learned that class discussions can be effective only to the extent that all students actively participate in them. Now, as a first-year teacher, she sees that some students rarely have anything to say and that two or three of them seem to “zone out” of discussions altogether. To get these students more actively engaged in the topic at hand, she institutes a new system in which she asks all of her students to each make at least one substantive comment or ask a relevant question during every class discussion. [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] In this alternative, two essential steps of action research are missing: The teacher doesn’t analyze and interpret the data, nor does she implement an action plan based on the data she has obtained. [Feedback for Correct Answer 2] The teacher takes all of the prescribed steps in action research: He (a) identifies an issue (homework completion), gathers preliminary information (by reading relevant articles), and implements a strategy for addressing the issue; (b) collects data (he has already done this by keeping records of students who do and don’t do their homework); (c) determines that students’ homework completion rates are unsatisfactory; and (d) implements his new action plan (by shortening the assignments and making the tasks more enjoyable). [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] As described here, the teacher’s actions don’t reflect action research: There is no collection, analysis, or interpretation of data, nor is any action plan in place. [Feedback for Answer Choice 4] Although the teacher has identified an area of focus (participation in class discussions) and implemented a new strategy (an “action plan” of sorts), she has only vague, subjective impressions of her students’ behavior. She does not collect or analyze data that can help her determine whether her new strategy is truly effective in increasing student participation. Learning Outcome 1.2: Effective teachers use research findings and research-based theories to make decisions about instructional strategies, classroom management, and assessment practices. [Q1] Which one of the following examples illustrates the use of both quantitative and qualitative data?

1. This week Ms. Musacchio’s four sixth-grade science classes have been studying our solar system. On Monday, she taught her two morning classes a mnemonic for remembering the eight planets: “My very educated mother just served us noodles” (“My” for Mercury, “very” for Venus, etc.). But in her afternoon classes, she neglected to include the mnemonic in her lesson. The following day, she discovered that more students in her morning classes could remember the eight planets in correct order than was true for students in her afternoon classes. 2. On the first day of the school year, Mr. Vickers makes a concerted effort to get to know a little bit about the lives of his new group of fourth graders. He asks his students a series of questions (e.g., “How many of you have brothers or sisters?” and “How many of you have a grandparent living with you at home?”) and counts the number of hands raised after each question. Later that morning, he asks his students to write a short description of the kinds of things that they (a) especially like doing at school and (b) seem to have trouble with at school. That evening he reviews the information he has gathered and hopes he can integrate some of this information into his lessons over the next few weeks. [correct] 3. Mr. Hughes’s middle school students are packed into his tiny classroom like sardines. He wants to discourage cheating in such tight quarters, so when he develops his first weekly quiz, he constructs two different forms of the quiz. On Form A, the easiest items appear first, whereas on Form B, the most difficult items appear first. Mr. Hughes distributes the two forms of the quiz to his students in a random fashion. As he is scoring the quizzes that night, he discovers that students who had the easiest items at the beginning have done better on the quiz overall than students who had the most difficult items first. 4. High school principal Ms. Verbano wants to find out whether students who participate in after-school activities (e.g., basketball team, service club, yearbook) achieve at higher or lower levels than students who leave school as soon as their final class is over. She obtains a list of all students who are members of one or more athletic teams and/or school clubs and discovers that, on average, they have higher grade-point averages (GPAs) than their lessinvolved peers. [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] She has only looked at and compared the numbers (quantities) of successful students in her four classes. [Feedback for Correct Answer 2] The numbers of hands raised in response to each question are quantitative data. The students’ written compositions provide qualitative data that cannot necessarily be reduced to numbers. [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] Quiz scores are quantitative data. For your information, his findings are consistent with findings in published research studies: Students tend to do better on classroom assessments when easier items come before more difficult, challenging ones. [Feedback for Answer Choice 4] Students’ GPAs are numbers. Also, students’ participation (or lack thereof) in extracurriculars is an either-or thing that can be easily reduced to a number (e.g., “1” for yes, “0” for no). The principal isn’t looking at the quality of either variable.

[Q2] Which one of the following examples best illustrates what data collection might involve in a strictly descriptive study? 1. In a preliminary effort to understand eight-year-old Jon’s chronically poor performance during independent seatwork time, a school counselor first wants to determine the number of times that Jon seeks the teacher’s attention during independent work. One morning, the school counselor spends two hours observing Jon in his classroom during independent work and counts the number of times that he (a) raises his hand and (b) gets out of his seat to be near the teacher. [correct] 2. A school superintendent discovers that different middle schools in her district give students different amounts of time for physical education (PE) classes each week. At the end of the school year, she examines the relationship between the amount of time that the students at each school spent in PE classes each week and their end-of-year grades in literacy, math, science, and social studies. 3. In his lesson planning, a high school music teacher thinks of two distinctly different ways in which he might teach his students about major versus minor scales, and he wants to find out which way will better help his students understand and learn to recognize the two types of scales. For his first two (morning) classes he teaches the lesson one way, and for his second two (afternoon) classes he teaches it the other way. During all four classes he subjectively estimates the amount of time that students are paying attention and compares the times for the morning classes with the times for the afternoon classes. 4. A kindergarten teacher strongly believes in the importance of hands-on experimentation with concrete objects (e.g., building blocks, small plastic animals) as a means of helping her students acquire a basic understanding of numbers and basic arithmetic. At the beginning of the school year, she simply lets her students play with these objects in any way they choose. But a few weeks later, when she administers a short assessment task, the students’ scores indicate that they have made little or no progress in their comprehension of numbers. Accordingly, she begins to present simple problems for the students to solve using the objects (e.g., “If you have three red Legos and I give you two blue ones, how many Legos do you have altogether?”). When she subsequently readministers the assessment, she sees noticeable improvements in her students’ performance. [Feedback for Correct Answer 1] A descriptive study describes the situation. In this case, the counselor is documenting (i.e., describing) the frequency of Jon’s attention-seeking behavior. [Feedback for Answer Choice 2] A descriptive study simply describes the situation; it doesn’t examine relationships among variables. Here the superintendent is exploring the relationship between two variables: time in P E and end-of-year grades. [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] In his “study,” the teacher is informally trying to establish a relationship between teaching strategy and student attention, and he’s doing so only through his own subjective impressions. Descriptive studies only describe the current state of affairs-they aren’t intended to show relationships among variables. Please also note that virtually any descriptive study involving either qualitative or quantitative data would require a more in-depth, systematic collection of students’ behavior than this teacher obtains. 6 Copyright © 2023, 2018, 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[Feedback for Answer Choice 4] A descriptive study simply describes the situation; it doesn’t examine relationships among variables. Here, instead, we are seeing an attempt to identify a relationship between two variables: type of activity and student’s assessment scores. Please note, however, that the teacher fails to take into account other factors that might be underlying reasons for the improvement. Among other things, the teacher hasn’t taken into account the facts that (a) the children are now older and possibly more cognitively mature than they were a few weeks earlier, and (b) the children have become more familiar and comfortable with these objects than they were at the beginning of the school year. [Q3] Which one of the following examples best illustrates a correlational study? 1. In a preliminary effort to understand Jon’s chronically poor performance during independent seatwork time, a school counselor first wants to determine the number of times that Jon seeks the teacher’s attention during independent work. One morning, the school counselor spends two hours observing Jon in his classroom during independent work and counts the number of times that he (a) raises his hand and (b) gets out of his seat to be near the teacher. 2. A school superintendent discovers that different middle schools in her district give students different amounts of time for physical education (P E) classes each week. At the end of the school year, she examines the relationship between the amount of time that the students at each school spent in PE classes each week and their end-of-year grades in literacy, math, science, and social studies. [correct] 3. In his lesson planning, a high school music teacher thinks of two distinctly different ways in which he might teach his students about major versus minor scales, and he wants to find out which way will better help his students understand and learn to recognize the two types of scales. For his first two (morning) classes he teaches the lesson one way, and for his second two (afternoon) classes he teaches it the other way. During all four classes he subjectively estimates the amount of time that students are paying attention and compares the times for the morning classes with the times for the afternoon classes. 4. Students in a third-grade class are each using one of two versions of an online instructional program to learn how to pronounce English words with common spelling patterns (e.g., words with -ight, -ough, or -tion). Version A presents three examples of each spelling pattern; Version B presents six examples of each one. The students have been randomly assigned to one of two versions of the program. The students using Version B can subsequently spell and pronounce more words correctly than those in Version A. However, students in both groups have trouble with exceptions (e.g., the words eight and straight aren’t pronounced the same way that right and might are pronounced, even though all four words end in -ight). [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] At this point, the counselor is only trying to get a sense of how often Jon seeks attention. The counselor isn’t yet trying to identify any relationship between Jon’s attention-seeking behavior and any other factor in the classroom. [Feedback for Correct Answer 2] The superintendent finds a relationship (correlation) between time in P E classes and end-ofyear grades. She does not have evidence to suggest that more PE times causes higher 7 Copyright © 2023, 2018, 2015 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

academic achievement, however, making this a correlational study rather than an experimental study. [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] Although the teacher is presumably trying to establish a relationship (correlation) between teaching strategy and students’ attention, his “data” (his own general impressions of students’ attention levels) are too vague and subjective to provide convincing evidence of an actual relationship. [Feedback for Answer Choice 4] Here we go beyond an examination of simple relationships to identity possible cause-and-effecta fact that puts this particular study in different category of research. [Q4] Which one of the following examples best illustrates an experimental study? 1. In a preliminary effort to understand Jon’s chronically poor performance during independent seatwork time, a school counselor first wants to determine the number of times that Jon seeks the teacher’s attention during independent work. One morning, the school counselor spends two hours observing Jon in his classroom during independent work and counts the number of times that he (a) raises his hand and (b) gets out of his seat to be near the teacher. 2. A school superintendent discovers that different middle schools in her district give students different amounts of time for physical education (PE) classes each week. At the end of the school year, she examines the relationship between the amount of time that the students at each school spent in PE classes each week and their end-of-year grades in literacy, math, science, and social studies. 3. In his lesson planning, a high school music teacher thinks of two distinctly different ways in which he might teach his students about major versus minor scales, and he wants to find out which way will better help his students understand and learn to recognize the two types of scales. For his first two (morning) classes he teaches the lesson one way, and for his second two (afternoon) classes he teaches it the other way. During all four classes he subjectively estimates the amount of time that students are paying attention and compares the times for the morning classes with the times for the afternoon classes. 4. Students in a third-grade class are each using one of two versions of an online instructional program to learn how to pronounce English words with common spelling patterns (e.g., words with -ight, -ough or -tion). Version A presents three examples of each spelling pattern; Version B presents six examples of each one. The students have been randomly assigned to one of two versions of the program. The students using Version B can subsequently spell and pronounce more words correctly than those in Version A. However, students in both groups have trouble with exceptions (e.g., the words eight and straight aren’t pronounced the same way that right and might are pronounced, even though all four words end in -ight). [correct] [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] This is a descriptive study that does not involve identifying any relationship, let alone a causeand-effect relationship.

[Feedback for Answer Choice 2] This is a correlational study: There appears to be some sort of correlation between PE time and end-of-year grades, but from the evidence presented here, we cannot determine whether (a) increased PE time directly leads to (causes) higher academic achievement, (b) schools with high achievers also tend to be those that allot considerable time to PE classes, or (c) PE time and academic achievement are both the result of some other, still-undetermined variable. [Feedback for Answer Choice 3] Although the teacher is presumably trying to establish a relationship (correlation) between teaching strategy and students’ attention, his “data” (his own general impressions of students’ attention levels) are too vague and subjective to provide convincing evidence of an actual relationship, let alone a cause-and-effect relationship. [Feedback for Correct Answer 4] One variable (number of examples) appears to affect student’s learning in a cause-and-effect manner. Number of examples (the independent variable) is manipulated here, and students are randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups. Students’ subsequent abilities to spell and pronounce the words are the dependent variables, in that level of ability is in part the result of (and so depends on) the independent variable. Both versions of the program have a significant limitation, of course, in that students in both groups have difficulty with exception words. [Q5] Which one of the following conclusions can be drawn only from an experimental study? 1. “On average, older children think more logically than younger children do.” 2. “Students who actively try to make sense of classroom material remember it better than those who don’t.” 3. “Teachers can help students understand classroom material better when they occasionally stop to ask questions that students must answer.” [correct] 4. “Teachers who have higher expectations for their students have students who actually do achieve at higher levels.” [Feedback for Answer Choice 1] This conclusion can easily be drawn from a correlational study-more specifically, one that looks at a potential relationship between age level and logical thinking ability. The conclusion does not specially state that age in some way causes more logical thinking. [Feedback for Answer Choice 2] This conclusion points to a relationship between sense-making and memory for classroom subject matter; it does not specifically state that sense-making is the (causal) reason for better memory. (Note: Considerable research does exist to support the idea that sense-making efforts can, in fact, lead to better memory in a cause-and-effect manner, but as stated here, this conclusion does not make that causal connection.) [Feedback for Correct Answer 3] Here a clear causal connection is established: By occasionally asking questions, teachers can help and thereby enhance students’ understanding. In other words, question-asking is proposed to be the causal reason why students are learning more effectively.