Addressing Publication Bias in Educational Psychology

• Published in: Translational issues in psychological science 2018-12, Vol.4 (4), p.425-439
• Main Authors: Ekholm, Eric, Chow, Jason
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Educational Psychology; Interpretive Bias; Meta Analysis; Null Hypothesis Testing; Policy Making; Publication Bias; Scientific Communication
• ISSN: 2332-2136; 2332-2179
• DOI: 10.1037/tps0000181

Meta-analyses provide educational stakeholders with data from which to make instructional, programmatic, and policy decisions. Potentially biased meta-analytic results could, therefore, have negative impacts on students, teachers, and schools. In this article, we argue for why assessing for publication bias matters in educational psychology meta-analyses, explore the prevalence of publication bias assessment in a top-tier educational psychology journal, describe assumptions and implications of common publication bias methods, and provide a worked example using data from a published meta-analysis. We conclude the article with recommendations on how to interpret the results of various publication bias assessments in conjunction with one another and in the context of the meta-analysis itself. What is the significance of this article for the general public? This article emphasizes the implications that publication bias can have on educational research, practice, and policy. Further, it provides an introduction to methods for assessing publication bias so that educational psychologists and users of educational psychology meta-analyses can make more appropriate inferences from meta-analytic findings.