Lakhasly

Respectable research studies may be the In concluding this discussion it is important to realize that research may be car- simple descriptive fact - finding variety that lead to useful generalizations .Every 10 years an enumeration of the population is conducted , with data classified by nationality , citizenship , age , gender , race , marital status , educational level , regional and community residence , employment , economic status , births , deaths , and other characteristics .For example , descrip- tive studies of the intellectually gifted , carried on since the early 1920s by the late Lewis M. Terman and his associates , have provided useful generalizations about the characteristics of this segment of the school population .Although these studies did not explain the factors underlying giftedness , they did provide many hypotheses investigated later by more sophisticated experimental methods .Actually , many of the early studies in the behavioral sciences were useful in providing needed generalizations about the behavior or characteristics of individuals and groups .Each of them employs the process of disciplined inquiry through the gathering and analysis of empirical data , and each attempts to develop knowledge .The National Assessment of

Respectable research studies may be the In concluding this discussion it is important to realize that research may be car- simple descriptive fact - finding variety that lead to useful generalizations . Actually , many of the early studies in the behavioral sciences were useful in providing needed generalizations about the behavior or characteristics of individuals and groups . Sub- sequent experimental studies of a more complex nature needed this groundwork information to suggest hypotheses for more precise analysis . For example , descrip- tive studies of the intellectually gifted , carried on since the early 1920s by the late Lewis M. Terman and his associates , have provided useful generalizations about the characteristics of this segment of the school population . Although these studies did not explain the factors underlying giftedness , they did provide many hypotheses investigated later by more sophisticated experimental methods . Descriptive Research , Assessment , and Evaluation The term descriptive research has often been used incorrectly to describe three types of investigation that are different . Perhaps their superficial similarities have obscured their differences . Each of them employs the process of disciplined inquiry through the gathering and analysis of empirical data , and each attempts to develop knowledge . To be done competently , each requires the expertise of the careful and systematic investigator . A brief explanation may serve to put each one in proper perspective . A more complete discussion can be found in Chapter 5 . Assessment is a fact - finding activity that describes conditions that exist at a particular time . No hypotheses are proposed or tested , no variable relationships are examined , and no recommendations for action are suggested . The national census is a massive assessment type of investigation conducted by the Bureau of the Census , a division of the United States Department of Com- merce . Every 10 years an enumeration of the population is conducted , with data classified by nationality , citizenship , age , gender , race , marital status , educational level , regional and community residence , employment , economic status , births , deaths , and other characteristics . These data provide a valuable basis for social analysis and government action . In education , assessment may be concerned with the determination of prog ress that students have made toward educational goals . The National Assessment of