Scientifically Based Research - Generalized to other contexts

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Question 7: Generalized to other contexts
How can we determine when and how research results can be appropriately generalized to other contexts and other programs?

The more closely your student body resembles the student body in a given study, the more likely you can generalize to your setting.

The more closely your setting resembles the setting in a given study, the more likely you can generalize to your setting.

The more closely your resources resemble the resources in a given study, the more likely you can generalize to your setting.

The more closely your technology expertise of teachers resembles the technology expertise in a study, the more likely you can generalize to your setting.

The more closely your student-school culture resembles the school culture in a study, the more likely you can generalize to your setting.

If possible within the State system, limit RFP design to projects that replicate one or more SBR practices. If this is not possible, consider weighting the scoring rubric to give advantage to projects that seek to replicate a model shown by research to be effective. The more the projects you fund have in common, the more able you will be to define common goals and measures, and the more able you will be to interpret the results across projects and obtain outcomes that can be generalized beyond the original context.

Generalizing the results of a study
Generally accepted wisdom tells us that if you do a large-scale randomized study with a large sample group, the results are more "generalizable." However, since this is unrealistic for most districts, a more practical approach would be to pursue small-scale studies in targeted populations. These studies can yield valuable results.

Some issues that may affect your ability to generalize:

Setting
Resources
Context
Technology expertise
School culture
Diversity
SES

What about LEP students you ask? These students may not be able to answer a significant amount of test items; therefore it is not a valid indicator.

Recommendations:

A more reasonable approach is to pursue small-scale studies targeted to specialized populations addressing a particular problem or need;
If we have a number of these smaller studies, we will be more likely to find one that is done in a place similar to your district, thus promoting our ability to make judgments about generalization;
Find studies that take place in a setting or population similar to your own and then generalize.

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Scientifically Based Research | Technology Literacy Assessment | Common Data Elements | Effective Teaching with Technology Assessment | National Education Technology Plan


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