Meta‐analysis

Abstract Meta‐analysis comprises a set of systematic and well‐established procedures for estimating population‐level effects, such as standardized mean differences or correlation coefficients, both as an overall effect and as a function of potential moderating variables. In doing so, meta‐analysis improves upon a number of limitations inherent in traditional, nonsystematic reviews. This entry lays out some of these benefits as well as the conceptual and empirical motivations behind meta‐analysis. We also provide an overview of the four major stages involved in conducting a meta‐analysis: (a) defining the domain and searching for primary studies; (b) developing and implementing a coding scheme; (c) data analysis; and (d) interpreting meta‐analytic effects. We conclude by addressing, if only briefly, some of the recent developments in meta‐analytic methods observed in applied linguistics such as the use of AI in study screening and meta‐SEM.