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Tutorial :

Empirical Studies Format


Reports of empirical studies are articles summarizing original research.
Title: is a concise description of the empirical research report. It should convey
appropriate information about the study or studies presented in the report.

Abstract: provides a brief but comprehensive summary of the research.


Introduction: sets the research in a context (it provides the "big picture"), provides
a review of related research, and develops the hypotheses for the research. The
introduction describes the problem, develops the theoretical and empirical
background for the research questions, and elaborates a rationale for all parts of the
study.

Method (or methodology): is a description of how the research was conducted,


including who the participants were, the design of the study, what the participants
did, and what measures were used. The detail is important so the reader can
determine the appropriateness of the method for answering the scientific questions.
It is also important for another researcher to be able to replicate the study. This
section reads a lot like a recipe.
Results: describes the outcomes of the measures of the study. This 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.
Discussion: contains the interpretations and implications of the study. There may
be more that one study in the report; in this case, there are usually separate Method
and Results sections for each study followed by a General Discussion that ties all the
research together.
References: contains information about all the articles and books that were cited in
the report. The reference citations are used to support statements made in the article.
Tutorial :

QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH DESIGNS

Quasi-experimental designs came about because of:


1) difficulty of applying the classical natural science method to the social sciences
2) overemphasis on theory testing and development
3) high cost of classic natural science methods
4) development of new statistical tools that allowed for statistical control

There are several types of quasi-experimental designs, including:


time series design
equivalent time series samples
equivalent samples materials design
non-equivalent control group
counterbalanced designs
separate sample pre-test/post-test
separate sample pre-test/post-test control group
multiple time series design
institutional cycle design
regression-discontinuity design

Comparison Group Pre-test/Post-test Design

In a quasi-experimental design, the research substitutes statistical "controls" for the absence of
physical control of the experimental situation. The most common quasi-experimental design
is the Comparison Group Pre-test/Post-test Design. This design is the same as the classic
controlled experimental design except that the subjects cannot be randomly assigned to either
the experimental or the control group, or the researcher cannot control which group will get
the treatment. In other words, participants do not all have the same chance of being in the
control or the experimental groups, or of receiving or not receiving the treatment.

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