Equity-relevant research as answering for whom and under what conditions an improvement works¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 2 studies (1 associational, 1 qualitative), q1–q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The report frames equity-relevant research through two concepts: equity "respects variability among learners" including differences in strengths, needs, experiences, and opportunities, and equity respects that education occurs in systems that "work differentially well for groups of students that share common features of their identity." Its conventional summary is that such research answers not only what works but also "for whom and under what conditions." The framework draws on the IES SEER principles, whose ninth equity principle requires demonstrating how interventions address education inequities.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Researchers must define what equity means for their research goal before designing studies

Constraints¶

• The report notes the field does not presently have a shared definition of equity-relevant research

Target Learners¶

• Education researchers designing intervention studies across K-12 and higher education

Target Learning Objectives¶

• Improving learners' outcomes and their access to resources and opportunities, with attention to differential impacts

Claims¶

• In an IES-funded randomized controlled trial, students with lower prior mathematics achievement gained more from ASSISTments homework support than students with higher prior achievement [+W]
• Prior research established correlations between observable student experiences such as frustration and clickstream data in ASSISTments, enabling experience-variable equity research without demographic data [+W]

Related Theories¶

• Equity-oriented research methodology: two approaches and measures of structural and contextual factors

Examples¶

• Use student experience variables instead of identity variables to investigate for whom and under what conditions improvements work

Key Sources¶

• Zacamy, J., & Roschelle, J. (2022, August). Navigating the tensions: How could equity-relevant research also be agile, open, and scalable? Digital Promise. https://doi.org/10.51388/20.500.12265/159