METAANALYSIS, REPLICATION, SOCIAL SKILLS, AND LEARNING-DISABILITIES

This article examines Qchoa and Olivarez's (1995) replication study of Swanson and Malone's (1992) meta-analysis of sociometric research for children with learning disabilities. The two research syntheses agree in direction and outcomes, but vary substantially in identifying the moderator variables that underlie effect sizes. Some of the difference s between the two syntheses were related to the effects of gender, eth nicity, and type of measurement on effect size. Differences between th e two syntheses were attributed to (a) inadequate reporting of coding reliability, (b) failure to include similar articles for analysis, and (c) poor operationalization of the term learning disabilities as the basis for article selection. Because differences existed in coding sch emes and effect sizes between the two syntheses, guidelines for enhanc ing replication for future syntheses are suggested. These guidelines r eflect several criteria on which to judge a meta-analysis of the liter ature.