Reading Reports of Empirical Studies

The Results section contains the summaries and analyses of the measures obtained in the study. This is where the "answers" to the research questions will be found. The following questions will help you evaluate the results:

• What are the main results of the study?
• Can the results be used to answer the research question(s)?
• Can the results be generalized beyond the context of the study?

You need to understand what the results are before you can think critically about them. This can be a tough task if you don't know a whole lot about statistics and how to interpret them. A good way to start to understand the results is to study the figures and tables. Then read the text for the researchers' interpretations. Try this with the article then work through the summary and questions below.

Can the results be used to answer the research question(s)?

Can the results be generalized beyond the context of the study?

Time in School

On average, Japanese students were at school for 8.6 hours (SD = 1.6 hours), Chinese students were at school for 9.2 hours (SD = 2.2 hours), and American students were at school for 7.3 hours (SD = 1.3 hours). As well, the Asian students attended half-day Saturday classes: Overall, the Japanese students spent about 47 hours a per week in school, the Chinese students spent about 50 hours a week, and the American students spent about 36 hours a week in school. The Asian students take more classes (7 - 8) each semester than the American students (5 - 6).

After-School Activities

Table 2 on page 835 shows the amount of time students estimated they spent engaging in activities outside of school each week. For the most part, Chinese students' estimates of the time they spent on academic activities (studying, attending additional lessons, reading) were greater than either Japanese or American students. American students, on the other hand spent more time than Asian students in work activities (employment and chores). American students also estimated that they spent more time in leisure activities than did the Asian students - with the exception of watching t.v., where Asian students' estimates of t.v. watching was several hours more a week than American students'.

Demographic Correlates of Time Use

Boys in all three countries spent more time in extra curricular activities and girls spent more time studying and doing chores. Students who had parents who were professionals and/or were more educated spent more time studying, attending extra lessons, and engaging in extracurricular activities. Adolescents from single-parent homes in Minneapolis spent more time with friends.

Time Use and Academic Achievement

Asian students outperformed American students on the mathematics achievement test; The average scores on the test were 21.8 (SD = 7.6) for Chinese students, 20.8 (SD = 10.4) for Japanese students, and 12.1 (SD = 6.6) for American students.

As shown in Table 4, time spent studying was positively correlated with achievement for all three countries.. As well, working, watching t.v., and hanging out with friends were negatively correlated for all countries. Students from all countries generally believed that time spent in nonacademic activities was never more than "somewhat" interfering with studying.