James Bovaird, director of the Nebraska Academy for Methodology, Analytics and Psychometrics, led the first presentation of the Fall 2019 Methodology Applications Series Sept. 20.
His presentation, “Cluster Randomized Trials in Education: Lessons Learned, Migraines Overcome, and Crises Averted,” is now available on video.
Bovaird explored features and intricacies of modern applied cluster randomized trials in school-based settings — and some of the things that are still overlooked or misunderstood despite the past two decades in the spotlight.
He noted that the Reading Excellence Act, passed by Congress in 1998, started a renewed push toward experimentation and random assignment as the foundation for scientifically based research in education.
In the years since, Bovaird said, researchers have learned that simple random assignment is sometimes insufficient, and the number of student participants is not always the solution.
Random assignment continues today to be the cornerstone of social, behavioral and education research on program effectiveness or efficacy, especially in applied settings such as schools.
The next presentation in the series will be Friday, Nov. 15, led by Edward Daly, professor of educational psychology. His presentation, “Single-Case Experimental Designs: Can You Really Conduct a True Experiment with So Few Participants?” will be from noon to 1:30 p.m. in the Nebraska Union’s Heritage Room.
The Methodology Applications Series is sponsored by CYFS’ MAP Academy.