QUALITY INDICATOR 1
Quality Indicator Analysis
Angela J Tippett
School of Education, Liberty University
QUALITY INDICATOR 3
Quality Indicator Analysis
What is the Purpose of Quality Indicators?
According to Odom et al. (2005), quality indicators are a set of criteria used to evaluate both
existing research as well as future research proposals for evidence of the effectiveness and
reliability of the study and its results. Quality indicators give researchers, practitioners, and
readers a list of criteria that can be used to rate the quality and validity of the information and
determine the usefulness of the data. These indicators also give researchers tools by which to
evaluate their own proposals for new studies and analysis.
Quality Indicator: 1.0. Context and Setting
QI
1.0. Context and setting: “The study provides sufficient information regarding the critical
features of the context or setting.”
Component
“1.1. The study describes critical features of the context or setting relevant to the review;
for example, type of program or classroom, type of school (e.g., public, private, charter,
preschool), curriculum, geographic location, community setting, socioeconomic status,
physical layout.”
Context and setting essentially set the stage for the research study.
Context gives the reader the background information necessary to
determine the details of the study parameters, where did the study take
place (i.e. classroom, online, separate setting), what language was used
(i.e. English, German, Spanish), details about the participants (students with
autism, students identified with reading deficits), socioeconomic details of
the participants (i.e. students with free and reduced lunches, students in
Title I schools, students from a rural community), and where is the study
taking place (i.e. private school, after-school care, special education
facility). All this information gives the consumer a clear understanding of
who was involved and where they were during the study window. This
allows for the consumers to understand how this study might be applicable
in their own context and whether this study will provide any useful
information for their own students or situation (Hagan-Burke et al., 2011).
The more detailed information provided, the more clearly delineated the
study becomes, allowing for more reliable replication of the study for
further analysis. A greater level of specificity indicates an attention to detail
and lends credence to the researchers’ attention to detail. Without such
information, the study cannot be used effectively to determine best
practices for any particular group of individuals or applied to a variety of
settings.
