Social presence has drawn great attention in the last three decades. A large number of studies attempted to prove that social presence exerted an effect on distance learning through including more interaction. This integrative review provided a comprehensive summary of current studies on social presence, identified problems in measuring social presence, and evaluated the effects of social presence on learning. Data were collected from 189 social presence studies in the area of distance education from 1976 to 2012. Data were analyzed qualitatively followed by a quantitative meta-analysis. This study revealed that social presence was still illusive and difficult to define. Due to its ambiguity, many doubts exist related to the measurement of social presence. The results of this study suggest future researchers should be cautious when advocating the importance of social presence in distance learning. / Ph. D.

Over the past decade there has been a growing investment in professional development (PD) programs for K-12 mathematics teachers. Researchers and policy makers often inquire about the effect of professional development programs and whether they are having a positive impact on students' learning, and which type of programs aid in students ' academic improvements. In view of the continued concern about the low achievement of U.S. students in mathematics there is a strong need to better understand the effect of PD on student learning and more specifically, which components of PD are more beneficial and are likely to enhance students' math learning. This study offers evidence in an effort fill the gap in the literature by examining the relationship between professional development and student achievement. A meta-analysis methodology was used to synthesize quantitatively and aggregate the results of the prior studies that have used scientific methods and reported numerical results. The time period for the selection of studies is from 2003 to 2014. Findings in this study confirm earlier literature and offers guidance about three effective components (duration, content, and intervention modality) in professional development programs that have been found to have a positive relationship with students' achievement. The results also highlighted the importance of content focus, sufficient duration and multiple modalities of professional development programs aiding teachers in their ability to become more effective in the classroom leading to increased students' achievement in math. / Ph. D.

<p dir="ltr">Understanding how rubrics work to better use them in the classroom is an open question for educational practitioners and researchers. This meta-analysis sought to estimate the effectiveness of rubric use on performance and explore its interaction with rubrics’ measurement properties, characteristics of rubric use, and contextual variables that may influence this effect. To begin, we identified 41 experimental and quasi-experimental primary studies of rubric use effects (80 effect sizes) of 8,968 participants. After removing over-influential studies from the analysis, results showed a significant positive effect of rubric use on performance (Hedges’ <i>g</i> = 0.47). No moderator variable significantly impacts the effect of rubric use on performance. A rubrics’ content analysis identified patterns in rubric design that seemed to co-vary with the effect sizes. These results can inform best practices to improve the effectiveness of rubric use. Practical implications for designing and implementing rubrics as instructional tools in the classroom are presented.</p>

Thesis advisor: Joseph Quinn / This thesis explores the debate surrounding the impact of minimum wage increases on employment, dissecting the conflicting results and methodological divergences in the existing economic literature. It engages in a detailed meta-analysis of seminal studies, with a particular focus on how differing research methodologies and definitions of employment have contributed to the lack of consensus among economists. The analysis reveals that while some studies, like those by Card and Krueger (1994), find no negative effects on employment, others, such as Neumark and Shirley (2022), report significant adverse impacts, particularly on low-skilled and younger workers. This thesis examines the prevalent methodological approaches and highlights the role of controlling for spatial heterogeneity and the careful selection of control groups in assessing the true effects of minimum wage policies. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Morrissey School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics. / Discipline: Departmental Honors.

Cannabis use in the United States has generally increased over the past decade as more States have legalized recreational use. In conjunction with changes to the chemical makeup, which has made available cannabis more potent, the long-term effects experienced by cannabis users may have changed, and more individuals may be effected. The current study replicated the methods used in Schreiner & Dunn (2012) and Grant et al. (2003) to conduct a meta-analysis examining the neurocognitive effects of cannabis after abstinence lasting a period of at least 25 days. Previous research has found mixed results, with some studies finding significant differences between abstinent cannabis users and matched healthy controls, and others finding no evidence of significant differences. Results of the current meta-analytical study found no significant effects within the domains of overall effects, attention, forgetting/retrieval, learning, or verbal/language. Results identified a significant small effect size within the domain of abstraction/executive function. Results continue to add to the growing evidence there are no significant long-term neurocognitive effects associated with cannabis use.

Background: Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), an outpatient intervention, has shown efficacy in reducing suicidality. Less is known about its effectiveness when delivered in usual care (UC), and the resource-intensive nature of the program often results in modifications when implemented in usual care. Methods: A systematic search yielded 83 empirical evaluations of DBT that reported original data on at least one of three suicidality-related outcomes: (a) self-directed violence (SDV), (b) crisis service use (CSU), and (c) suicidal ideation (SI). Using meta-analysis, the current study (1) estimated pooled effect of DBT in UC, (2) compared effects in UC and non-UC settings, and (3) examined predictors of differential outcomes. Results: DBT demonstrated a large effect (g=.81) in reducing SDV and a medium effect in reducing SI (g=.68). The estimated effect on CSU (g=.60) was non-significant after adjusting for publication bias (g=.29). DBT was more effective than control conditions in reducing SDV (g=.50), even after adjusting for publication bias (g=1.63). No differences between UC and non-UC effects were detected. In uncontrolled studies, positive associations emerged between therapist training and SDV reduction, adherence-reporting and CSU reduction, and outpatient and SI reduction. Discussion: Results support DBT’s effectiveness in reducing suicidality-related outcomes in UC, but should be interpreted with caution given the heterogeneity among studies. Potential sources of heterogeneity and the methodological challenges of synthesizing research in UC are discussed. Recommendations for future work are offered. / Psychology

The study aims to summarize and synthesize 236 mean willingness to pay (WTP) estimates from 22 studies on WTP for broadband while exploring factors driving heterogeneity using a meta-regression analysis. Employing weighted least square regression, it identifies factors contributing to heterogeneity, including publication characteristics, study-design characteristics, consumer characteristics, and broadband attributes. Key findings reveal higher WTP in working papers and survey reports compared to peer-reviewed journal articles. WTP for broadband after 2015 is lower compared to pre-2007, potentially reflecting a shift in consumer perception over time. Higher download speeds are associated with increased WTP, and rural areas exhibit a nearly $2 higher WTP than urban areas. Households with income below $75,000 exhibit lower WTP than higher-earning counterparts. These findings are valuable for policymakers, extension specialists, researchers, and internet service providers to address broadband adoption barriers and bridge the availability-adoption gap.

Yes / A comprehensive meta‐analysis of two types of forced‐choice (FC) personality inventories (ipsative and quasi‐ipsative) across nine occupational groups (Clerical, Customer Service, Health Care, Managerial, Military, Police, Sales, Skilled Manual, and Supervisory) is reported. Quasi‐ipsative measures showed substantially higher operational validity coefficients and validity generalization across all occupations than ipsative measures. Results also showed that, compared with the findings of previous meta‐analyses, quasi‐ipsative personality inventories are better predictors of job performance than previously thought and that operational validities for ipsative measures are notably congruent with past findings. We conclude that quasi‐ipsative scale formats are superior for predicting job performance for all occupational groups. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings for personnel selection are discussed in 4.4. / Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Grant Number: PSI2011‐27943. Leverhulme Trust. Grant Number: IN‐2012‐095

Yes / The aim of this research is to synthesise findings from previous studies by employing weight and meta-analysis to reconcile conflicting evidence and draw a “big picture” of eWOM factors influencing consumers’ intention to buy. By using the findings from 69 studies, this research identified best (e.g. argument quality, valence, eWOM usefulness, trust in message), promising (e.g. eWOM credibility, emotional trust, attitude towards website) and least effective (e.g. volume, existing eWOM, source credibility) predictors of intention to buy in eWOM research. Additionally, the effect size of each predictor was calculated by performing meta-analysis. For academics, understanding what influences consumers’ intention to buy will help set the agenda for future research directions; for practitioners, it will provide benefit in terms of practical guidance based on detailed analysis of specific factors influencing consumers’ intention to buy, which could enhance their marketing activities.

Yes / The rapid evolution of mobile-based technologies and applications has led to the development of several different forms of digital payment methods (DPMs) but with limited enthusiasm in consumers for adopting them. Hence, several academic studies have already been conducted to examine the role of various antecedents that determines consumers’ intention to adopt DPMs. The degree of effect and significance of several antecedents found to be inconsistent across different studies. This provided us a basis for undertaking a meta-analysis of existing research for estimating the cumulative effect of such antecedents. Therefore, this study aims to perform a meta-analysis of five antecedents (i.e. attitude, cost, mobility, price value and innovativeness) for confirming their overall influence on intentions to adopt DPMs. The results of this study suggest that the cumulative effect of four out of five antecedents found to be significant while influence of price value was found insignificant on behavioural intentions. The recommendations drawn from this research would help to decide if and when to use such antecedents for predicting consumer intention to adopt DPMs.