A Review of Statistical Methods for Generalizing From Evaluations of Educational Interventions. (November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Tipton, Elizabeth; Olsen, Robert B.
• Is Part Of: Educational researcher. Volume 47:Number 8(2018)
• Page Start: 516
• Page End: 524
• Publication Date: 2018-11
• Subjects: educational policy -- evaluation -- experimental design -- experimental research -- external validity -- generalizability -- multisite studies -- policy -- program evaluation -- propensity scores -- research methodology -- sampling -- statistics; Education -- Periodicals; Education -- United States -- Periodicals; Education -- Research -- Periodicals; Education -- Research -- Methodology -- Periodicals; 370.72
• DOI: 10.3102/0013189X18781522
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0013-189X

Abstract

School-based evaluations of interventions are increasingly common in education research. Ideally, the results of these evaluations are used to make evidence-based policy decisions for students. However, it is difficult to make generalizations from these evaluations because the types of schools included in the studies are typically not selected randomly from a target population. This paper provides an overview of statistical methods for improving generalizations from intervention research in education. These are presented as a series of steps aimed at improving research design—particularly recruitment—as well as methods for assessing and summarizing generalizability and estimating treatment impacts for clearly defined target populations.