Quantitative Methods in PER

Abstract

Quantitative research methods have a rich history in Physics Education Research (PER). This chapter takes the reader through some of that history and outlines the most commonly used methods in the field including inferential and descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing, Type I and Type II error, classical test theory, factor analysis, item response theory, linear and logistic regression, hierarchical linear modeling, structural equation modeling, cluster analysis, machine learning, and network analysis. A short description of each technique is provided followed by a brief summary of some the studies within PER that have applied the method.