Effect sizes are increasingly applied to describe the magnitude of findings about program effectiveness across a range of policy contexts. Though more researchers are recognizing the importance of including effect sizes in manuscripts, at times these effect sizes are calculated and interpreted without caution. For example, many papers base judgments on the import of effect sizes solely on Cohen’s original guidelines, not taking into account multiple other factors influencing the interpretation of effect sizes. Similarly, at times effect sizes are calculated incorrectly, providing inaccurate estimates of effects. In addition, attempts to use effect sizes to compare program effectiveness sometimes fail to consider the comparability of study design, population, and contextualization. To address these issues the Administration for Children and Families and federal partners convened a roundtable in 2007, Application of Effect Sizes in Research on Children and Families. The presentations by experts in the fields of methodology, statistics, epidemiology, economics and evaluation provided foundational understanding of effect sizes including their purpose, calculation and interpretation, critically examined the factors affecting the interpretation of effect sizes and made recommendations about the use of effect sizes in policy-relevant research with children and families.
The Application of Effect Sizes in Research on Children and Families: Understanding Impacts on Academic, Emotional Behavioral and Economic Outcomes
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Welcome and Overview
Naomi Goldstein, Director of the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE) in the Administration of…
Effect sizes are a type of quantitative representation of the magnitude of relations, differences, or…
There are two considerations when computing or interpreting Effect Sizes: (a) different definitions of effect…
This session focused on the rationale for calculating average effect sizes, described which measures should be…
The discussion session focused on methods for standardizing the language used when reporting effect sizes and…
Belinda Sims, Health Scientist administrator at the National Institute of Drug Abuse, served as the moderator…
Effect sizes describe the magnitude of findings from statistical analyses...
This presentation examines the variation in impact with effect sizes by describing traditional meta-analyses and…
This session focused on the merits of incorporating cost and benefit analysis into effect size calculations for…
There are difficulties in communicating results of research to audiences lacking statistical expertise…
Panelists indicated that intervention effects can be translated into financial benefits, but emphasized that…
The roundtable concluded with a discussion that focused on three themes: research design and methodology;…
The implications of measurement error differ depending on whether one is using natural or standardized units…
There are two types of research—basic and intervention…