The research glossary defines terms used in conducting social science and policy research, for example those describing methods, measurements, statistical procedures, and other aspects of research; the child care glossary defines terms used to describe aspects of child care and early education practice and policy.
Field Experiments
An experimental study that is not conducted in a laboratory, but instead in real-life settings such as early childhood classrooms and schools. Field experiments, like lab experiments, generally randomize subjects (or other units such as classrooms or schools) into treatment and control groups and compare outcomes between these groups. For example, to evaluate the effectiveness of a new math curriculum, a sample of 4-year-old classrooms may be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (1) classrooms that will use the new curriculum (treatment) and (2) classrooms that will continue to use the old curriculum.
Field Notes
A text document that detail behaviors, conversations, or setting characteristics as recorded by a qualitative researcher. Field notes are the principle form of data gathered from direct observation and participant observation.
Field Research
Research conducted where research subjects live or where the activities of interest take place.
Field Work
Observing human behavior or interviewing individuals within their own communities. Field work is generally used to collect qualitative data. It often involves long-term relocation of researchers to the community under study. Data collection generally takes place over an extended period of time. The term is also used more broadly to describe the tasks performed by members of a research team in schools, early childhood programs, and communities. This might include: working with school and program staff to select samples of classes and children; conducting in-person interviews with teachers and other program staff and children's parents; and administering standardized assessments to the children.
Fixed Effects Regression
Regression techniques that can be used to eliminate biases associated with the omission of unmeasured characteristics. Biases are eliminated by including an individual-specific intercept term for all cases.
Floor
The lowest limit of performance that can be assessed or measured by an instrument or process. Individuals who perform near to or below this lower limit are said to have reached the floor, and the assessment may not be providing a valid estimate of their performance levels.
Focus Group
An interview conducted with a small group of people, all at one time, to explore ideas on a particular topic. The goal of a focus group is to uncover additional information through participants' exchange of ideas.
Forecasting
The prediction of the size of a future quantity (e.g., unemployment rate next year).
Frequency Distribution
The frequency with which values of a variable occur in a sample or a population. To graph a distribution, first the values of the variables are listed across the bottom of the graph. The number of times the value occurs are listed up the side of the graph. A bar is drawn that corresponds to how many times each value occurred in the data. For example, a graph of the distribution of women's heights from a random sample of the population would be shaped like a bell. Most women's height are around 5'4" This value would occur most frequently, so it would have the highest bar. Heights that are close to 5'4", such as 5'3" and 5'5" would have slightly shorter bars. More extreme heights, such as 4'7" and 6'1" would have very short bars.
Game Theory
Game theory is the study of how and why people make decisions using mathematical models of conflict and cooperation. It analyzes the strategies that two or more individuals use in dealing with situations where the outcome of an individual's choice of action depends on the actions of other individuals. The prisoner's dilemma is an example of how game theory can be used to show why two completely rational individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interests to do so.