Meta-analysis: A Quantitative Method of Integration of Research

Page: 244-249
Salma Seth (Department of Applied Psychology, Vivekananda College, University of Delhi, Delhi)

The unsatisfactory attempts at qualitatively synthesizing research literature heralded the coming of new strategies for integration-strategies that make the integration of the findings of empirical research itself an empirical task. What is involved then is an “analysis of analysis” or to use the term coined by Glass (1976) “meta-analysis.” Meta-analysis is the statistical summary of the results of all the studies on a particular topic. Studies relevant to a conceptual issue are collected and summary statistics from each study (such as means, correlation, etc.) are reduced to a common metric. This becomes the unit of analysis, and is analysed in quantitative tests. This research paper attempts to take a practical journey into meta-analysis.