Read This Description of a Study and Answer the Questions

question 38

Essay

Read this description of a study and answer the questions that follow.
A newspaper reporter at a university newspaper sought to gather evidence about the quality of teaching at the university. For one week at the beginning of the semester she attended 5 different classes each day, each with a different instructor. She asked 4 other reporters to do this too (they all attended different classes), and she trained them regarding the ratings they would make. The reporters pretended to be students, but sat in the back of class so the instructor wouldn't notice their observations. Using 10-point rating scales, they rated each instructor on five dimensions: interesting, organized, informative, friendly, and respectful. They summarized their findings and reported that, in general, the quality of teaching at the university is very good.
-Identify the type of observational method used in this study.

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Definitions:

Explanatory Variables

Variables in a statistical model that are used to explain variation in the outcome or response variable.

Regression Model

A statistical method used to model the relationship between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.

Equation

A mathematical statement that asserts the equality of two expressions.

Unit Change

A term describing the effect of a one-unit increase in the independent variable on the dependent variable in the context of statistical models, particularly regression analysis.