WGU C224 STUDY SET EXAM
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (VERIFIED
AND UPDATED)
Research literature - ANS is the set of published research studies on a particular topic
various studies with the same result = CONFIDENCE
**Don't trust a single research study as the final word on a topic!**
AERA - ANS American Educational Research Association - largest and most prestigious
research association in the field of education
abstract - ANS a brief summary of what is included in the article.
provides a concise breakdown of article goals, methods, and tentative results researchers
choose to include
understanding - ANS (type of research objective)
attempting to learn about and generate ideas about specific and unique phenomena
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,How to determine if understanding was the objective of a research study - ANS ask yourself
these questions:
1. were the researchers studying a phenomenon or some aspect of a phenomenon about
WHICH LITTLE WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN?
2. Did the researchers choose to study a phenomenon WITHOUT ANY PRECONCEIVED
NOTIONS?
3. Were the researchers trying to "DISCOVER" IMPORTANT FACTORS or "generate" new ideas for
further research?
description - ANS (type of research objective)
an attempt to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon.
one of the most basic activities in research.
ex. observing a phenomenon and recording what one sees
descriptive research - ANS (type of research objective)
provide an accurate description or picture of the status or characteristics of a situation or
phenomenon.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,**focus is not specifically on searching out cause-and-effect relationships, but rather on relating
the variables that exist in a given situation and any relevant relationships that exist among
them.
Steps in Descriptive Research - ANS 1. randomly select a sample from a defined population.
2. determine the sample characteristics
3. infer the characteristics of the population based on the sample
explanation - ANS (type of research objective)
how and why a phenomenon operates as it does
**the objective of the majority of educational research is explanation**
How to determine if Explanation is the primary objective of a research study - ANS ask
yourself these questions:
1. Were the researchers trying to DEVELOP A THEORY about a phenomenon to explain how and
why it operates as it does?
2. Were the researchers trying to explain how phenomena operate by IDENTIFYING CAUSE-AND-
EFFECT relationships?
explanatory research - ANS testing hypotheses and theories that explain the functions of a
phenomenon in detail
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, **researcher is focused on establishing clear and defensible evidence for cause-and-effect
relationships.
***experimental research is the strongest form of explanatory research for providing evidence
of cause and effect.
prediction - ANS (type of research objective)
forecast a phenomenon, wherein there is an association made between two points in time.
**when researchers determine cause-and-effect operations, they can use this information to
form predictions
predictive research - ANS predict the future of one or more dependent (or criterion) variables
on the basis of one or more independent (or predictor) variables.
**is most applicable when researchers want to see how well they can predict a certain outcome
based on one or more independent or predictor variables.
influence (motivation) - ANS (type of research objective)
attempting to apply research to make certain outcomes occur
**application of research knowledge to control various aspects of the world
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (VERIFIED
AND UPDATED)
Research literature - ANS is the set of published research studies on a particular topic
various studies with the same result = CONFIDENCE
**Don't trust a single research study as the final word on a topic!**
AERA - ANS American Educational Research Association - largest and most prestigious
research association in the field of education
abstract - ANS a brief summary of what is included in the article.
provides a concise breakdown of article goals, methods, and tentative results researchers
choose to include
understanding - ANS (type of research objective)
attempting to learn about and generate ideas about specific and unique phenomena
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,How to determine if understanding was the objective of a research study - ANS ask yourself
these questions:
1. were the researchers studying a phenomenon or some aspect of a phenomenon about
WHICH LITTLE WAS PREVIOUSLY KNOWN?
2. Did the researchers choose to study a phenomenon WITHOUT ANY PRECONCEIVED
NOTIONS?
3. Were the researchers trying to "DISCOVER" IMPORTANT FACTORS or "generate" new ideas for
further research?
description - ANS (type of research objective)
an attempt to describe the characteristics of a phenomenon.
one of the most basic activities in research.
ex. observing a phenomenon and recording what one sees
descriptive research - ANS (type of research objective)
provide an accurate description or picture of the status or characteristics of a situation or
phenomenon.
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
,**focus is not specifically on searching out cause-and-effect relationships, but rather on relating
the variables that exist in a given situation and any relevant relationships that exist among
them.
Steps in Descriptive Research - ANS 1. randomly select a sample from a defined population.
2. determine the sample characteristics
3. infer the characteristics of the population based on the sample
explanation - ANS (type of research objective)
how and why a phenomenon operates as it does
**the objective of the majority of educational research is explanation**
How to determine if Explanation is the primary objective of a research study - ANS ask
yourself these questions:
1. Were the researchers trying to DEVELOP A THEORY about a phenomenon to explain how and
why it operates as it does?
2. Were the researchers trying to explain how phenomena operate by IDENTIFYING CAUSE-AND-
EFFECT relationships?
explanatory research - ANS testing hypotheses and theories that explain the functions of a
phenomenon in detail
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
, **researcher is focused on establishing clear and defensible evidence for cause-and-effect
relationships.
***experimental research is the strongest form of explanatory research for providing evidence
of cause and effect.
prediction - ANS (type of research objective)
forecast a phenomenon, wherein there is an association made between two points in time.
**when researchers determine cause-and-effect operations, they can use this information to
form predictions
predictive research - ANS predict the future of one or more dependent (or criterion) variables
on the basis of one or more independent (or predictor) variables.
**is most applicable when researchers want to see how well they can predict a certain outcome
based on one or more independent or predictor variables.
influence (motivation) - ANS (type of research objective)
attempting to apply research to make certain outcomes occur
**application of research knowledge to control various aspects of the world
@2026/2027 ALLRIGHTS RESERVED.
