Glossary: Research
T-Test
A statistical test used to determine if the scores of two groups differ on a single variable. For instance, to determine whether writing ability differs among students in two classrooms, a t-test could be used.
Testing
The act of gathering and processing information about individuals' ability, skill, understanding, or knowledge under controlled conditions.
Theory
A general explanation about a specific behavior or set of events that is based on known principles and serves to organize related events in a meaningful way, yet not as specific as a hypothesis.
Thick Description
A concept introduced by anthropologist Clifford Geertz referring to an approach used in ethnographic research to provide rich, detailed, and contextually nuanced descriptions of social phenomena, cultural practices, and human behavior. A rich and extensive set of details concerning methodology and context provided in a research report.
Transferability
The ability to apply the results of research in one context to another similar context. Also, the extent to which a study invites readers to make connections between the study and their own experience.
Translation Rules
Guidelines used to convert requirements, specifications, or designs into programming code. If one decides to generalize concepts during coding, then one must develop a set of rules by which less general concepts will be translated into more general ones.
Treatment
The stimulus given to a dependent variable in a research study.
Trend Samples
A type of sample used in research or data analysis to identify and analyze subsets of data to track changes or patterns in a particular phenomenon, variable, or indicator over time. This method of sampling different groups of people at different points in time from the same population.
Triangulation
A multi-method or pluralistic approach of using different methods in order to view the research topic from different viewpoints and to produce a multi-faceted set of data and check the validity of findings from any one method.