Exploring Inconsistencies in the Way Constructs Are Labeled, Defined, and Measured Through Meta-Analysis

• In Event: 46.081 - Methodological Issues and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Inconsistencies in the way constructs are labeled, defined, and measured plague some of the most important areas of education research. Practical and theoretical progress is hindered by these inconsistencies, and therefore a new meta-analytic method was developed to overcome them. With this new method, researchers are able to undertake three related lines of inquiry that can clarify the nature of and relation between constructs. First, this method allows researchers to identify variation in the way constructs are labeled, defined, and measured. Second, it allows researchers to explore possible sources of this variation. Third, it allows researchers to reconcile inconsistent labels, definitions, and measures of a construct. Taken together, these lines of inquiry can bring needed clarity to an empirical literature.

Author

• Amy L. Dent, Harvard University