Implementation Problems in Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The paper probes implementation problems in meta-analysis by comparing six quantitative reviews of the research on the validity of student ratings of instructional effectiveness. The disparate conclusions of the reviews are explained by comparing the syntheses at each step in a meta-analysis: specifying inclusion criteria, locating studies, coding study features, calculating individual study outcomes, and data analysis. In addition, the resolution of implementation problems is explored, and several suggestions are offered for improving the practice of quantitative synthesis including the following: techniques for the specification of inclusion criteria, guidelines for the systematic summary of study features, a call for the analysis of statistical power and the reduction of Type II errors, and a discussion of the analytical problems posed by the presence of between- and within-study findings.