How is an experimental research design different from descriptive and developmental research designs?

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Nonexperimental Designs

Nonexperimental designs include research designs in which an experimenter simply either describes a group or examines relationships between preexisting groups. The members of the groups are not randomly assigned and an independent variable is not manipulated by the experimenter, thus, no conclusions about causal relationships between variables in the study can be drawn. Generally, little attempt is made to control for threats to internal validity in nonexperimental designs. Non-experimental designs are used simply to answer questions about groups or about whether group differences exist. The conclusions drawn from nonexperimental research are primarily descriptive in nature. Any attempts to draw conclusions about causal relationships based on nonexperimental research are done so post hoc.

This entry begins by detailing the differences between nonexperimental and other research designs. Next, ...

How is an experimental research design different from descriptive and developmental research designs?

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What are the main types of qualitative approaches to research?

While there are many different investigations that can be done, a study with a qualitative approach generally can be described with the characteristics of one of the following three types:

Historical research describes past events, problems, issues and facts.  Data are gathered from written or oral descriptions of past events, artifacts, etc.  It describes “what was” in an attempt to recreate the past.  It is different from a report in that it involves interpretation of events and its influence on the present.  It answers the question: “What was the situation?” 

Examples of Historical Research:

  • A study of the factors leading to the historical development and growth of cooperative learning
  • A study of the effects of the historical decisions of the United States Supreme Court on American prisons
  • A study of the evolution of print journalism in the United States through a study of collections of newspapers
  • A study of the historical trends in public laws by looking recorded at a local courthouse

Ethnographic research develops in-depth analytical descriptions of current systems, processes, and phenomena and/or understandings of the shared beliefs and practices of a particular group or culture.  This type of design collects extensive narrative data (non-numerical data) based on many variables over an extended period of time in a natural setting within a specific context. The background, development, current conditions, and environmental interaction of one or more individuals, groups, communities, businesses or institutions is observed, recorded, and analyzed for patterns in relation to internal and external influences.  It is a complete description of present phenomena.

One specific form of ethnographic research is called a case study.  It is a detailed examination of a single group, individual, situation, or site. 

A meta-analysis is another specific form.  It is a statistical method which accumulates experimental and correlational results across independent studies.  It is an analysis of analyses.

Examples of Ethnographic Research:

  • A case study of parental involvement at a specific magnet school
  • A multi-case study of children of drug addicts who excel despite early childhoods in poor environments
  • The study of the nature of problems teachers encounter when they begin to use a constructivist approach to instruction after having taught using a very traditional approach for ten years
  • A psychological case study with extensive notes based on observations of and interviews with immigrant workers
  • A study of primate behavior in the wild measuring the amount of time an animal engaged in a specific behavior

Narrative research focuses on studying a single person and gathering data through the collection of stories that are used to construct a narrative about the individual’s experience and the meanings he/she attributes to them.

Examples of Narrative Research:

  • A study of the experiences of an autistic student who has moved from a self-contained program to an inclusion setting
  • A study of the experiences of a high school track star who has been moved on to a championship-winning university track team

What is the difference between the two types experimental research design?

1. In experimental research, the researcher can control and manipulate the environment of the research, including the predictor variable which can be changed. On the other hand, non-experimental research cannot be controlled or manipulated by the researcher at will.

What are the differences between descriptive studies and experimental research quizlet?

Descriptive research is a type of research that simply describes behavior or data through observation research methods whereas experimental research attempt to seek and explain cause and effect relationships by manipulating data.

How is experimental research different than descriptive and correlational research?

Descriptive research is designed to provide a snapshot of the current state of affairs. Correlational research is designed to discover relationships among variables. Experimental research is designed to assess cause and effect.

What is descriptive and developmental research?

Descriptive developmental designs refer to when data are collected. These included cross-sectional, longitudinal, and sequential designs. Explanatory designs refer to how and where data are collected, so they include experimental vs. naturalistic (or correlational) designs, and data collected in laboratory vs.