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.
Representativeness
The idea that research subjects in a sample, as a group, represent the population from which the sample was selected.
Research Method
The approaches, tools, and techniques that researchers use to study a problem. These methods include laboratory experiments, field experiments, surveys, case studies, focus groups, ethnographic research, action research, and so forth.
Research Question
A clear statement in the form of a question of the specific issue that a researcher wishes to answer using data from one or more sources. Examples include: Do children who attend center-based early care and education programs have stronger academic and social skills than children who are cared for in a home-based child care setting? Does the Black-White achievement gap narrow or widen as children move through the elementary school grades?
Respondent
The person who responds to a survey questionnaire and provides information for analysis.
Response Categories
Pre-determined categories that limit the responses that can be given to a questionnaire item or an item on a standardized test. Response categories are required for closed-ended questions where a respondent must choose from the options provided. Response categories are often used when asking parents about their current employment. They are asked to indicate whether they are working, not working, looking for work, or attending school or a training program.
Response Rate
The number of complete interviews or surveys divided by the number of individuals who were originally asked or selected to be interviewed or complete a survey (all eligible sample selections). The response rate is calculated using the same denominator as the refusal rate.
Rigorous Research
Rigorous research is research where the design, methods of data collection and analysis are appropriate to meet the stated objectives of an investigation.
Robustness
The state whereby a statistic remains useful even when one or more of its assumptions are violated.
Sample
A group that is selected from a larger group (the population). By studying the sample the researcher tries to draw valid conclusions about the population.
Sample Size
The number of subjects in a study. Larger samples are preferable to smaller samples, all else being equal.