Systematic Replication Example

Suppose that a researcher wanted to replicate an earlier study on the efficacy of a compensatory reading tutoring program designed for students without disabilities at the middle-school level. The researcher is different, but the reading program is the same, and the dependent variable (reading comprehension) is the same.

Additionally, the students differ on important characteristics. First of all, the participants from the first investigation had learning disabilities and were in high school. While the first investigation used a standardized test, the second used information assessments (i.e., different measures of the dependent variable were used) (called an “operational replication” by Neuliep and Crandall [1993a]).

A different variation of the reading program was also used in that peer tutors were involved in the first investigation (they were parent volunteers) to present the reading program while the tutors were high school peers (called an “instrumental replication” by Neuliep and Crandall [1993a] and a “conceptual replication” by Hendrick [1990]).

We could also replicate the original investigation’s procedures exactly with the exception of making some change in part of the procedures, such as spending 5 days per week, 1 hour each day, to teach the middle school students reading in the first study, and 3 days per week for 40 minutes each day in the second study (called a “partial replication” by Hendrick [1990]).