A.
Two-Way Interaction
Two-way interactions involve data from two different
sources and seek to answer questions related to the
relative impact. Bernhardt lists the following questions
that involve two-way interactions (p. 3):
- Do students who attend school every day get better
grades? (demographic/student learning)
- Do students with positive attitudes toward school
do better academically, as measured by teacher-assigned
grades? (perceptions/student learning)
- Did students enrolled in interactive math programs
this year perform better on standardized achievement
tests than those who took traditional math courses?
(student learning/school processes)
- What strategies do 3rd grade teachers use to teach
students with native languages different from their
own? (demographic/school processes)
- Is there a difference in how students enrolled in
different programs perceive the learning environment?
(perceptions/school processes)
- Is there a gender difference in students' perceptions
of the learning environment? (perceptions/demographic)
For example, data were collected that examined scores
on the ACT test and the relationship to family income
levels in Florida, representing a two-way interaction
between student learning and demographics. It is clear
from the graph below that those students with a higher
income level scored higher on the ACT.
You must, however, be careful when interpreting interactions
among data -- simply because a relationship or trend
is observable does not necessarily mean that there is
a cause and effect relationship. In the case of this
graph, the scores on the ACT obviously did not impact
the family income level. Whether or not the family income
level "caused" the "effect" of an
ACT score would require additional research.
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