Professional Documents
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2 p The Uniqueness of Experimental Research
Experimental research is unique in that it is the only type of research that directly attempts to
influence a particular variable, and it is the only type that, when used properly, can really test
hypotheses about cause-and-effect relationships Experimental designs are some of the
strongest available for educational researchers to use in determining cause and effect
H p uasi-experimental design
-p The matching-only design differs from random assignment with matching only in that
random assignment is not used
-p In a counterbalanced design, all groups are exposed to all treatments, but in a different
order
-p 2 time-series design involves repeated measurements or observation over time, both
before and after treatment
I p Factorial design
Factorial designs extend the number of relationships that may be examined in an
experimental study
c
©p The term M
refers to studies that investigate the quality of the
relationships, activities, situations, or materials
©p The natural setting is a direct source of data, and the researcher is a key part of the
instrumentation process in qualitative research
©p ualitative data are collected mainly in the form of words or pictures and seldom
involve numbers Content analysis a primary method of data analysis
©p ualitative researchers are especially interested in how things accur and particularly in
the perspectives of the subjects of a study
©p ualitative researchers do not, usually formulate a hypothesis beforehand and then seek
to test it Rather they allow hypotheses to emerge as a study develops
©p ualitative and quantitative research differs in the philosophic assumptions that underlie
the two approaches
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©p The steps involve in conducting a qualitative study are not as distinct as they are in
quantitative studies They often overlap and sometimes are even conducted concurrently
©p 2ll qualitative studies begin with a foreshadowed problem; the particular phenomenon
the researcher is interested in investigating
©p Researchers who engage in a qualitative study of some type usually select a purposive
sample Several types of purposive sample exist
©p There is no treatment in qualitative study, nor is there any manipulation of variables
©p The collection of data in a qualitative study is ongoing
©p Conclusion are drawn continuously throughout the course of a qualitative study
2
©p 2 biographical study tells the story of the special events in the life of a single individual
©p 2 researcher studies an individual¶s reactions to a particular phenomenon in a
phenomenological study He or she attempts to identify the commonalities among
different individual perceptions
©p In a grounded theory study, a researcher forms a theory inductively from data collected as
a part of the study
©p 2 case study is a detailed study of one or (at most) a few individuals or other social units,
such as a classroom, a school, or a neighborhood It can also be a study of an event, an
activity, or an ongoing process
^
©p Generalizing is possible in qualitative research, but it is of a type different from that
found in quantitative studies ost likely it will be done by interested practitioners