What is a design? What are its components?
In chapter 2, we state (p. 44): "The design of a research project includes the number of groups, how they are treated, and how the behavior is measured. The dependent variable, the independent variable, levels of the independent variable, and how extraneous variables are controlled are all aspects of research design."
In chapter 7, we introduce between-subjects designs and the extraneous variables of selection, differential attrition, and diffusion of treatment. In chapter 8, we introduce within-subjects designs and the extraneous variables of testing, instrument change, history, maturation, and regression (to the mean).
Let's break down design even further.
RESEARCH Type
- Experiment
- Quasi-experiment
- Field Study
- Naturalistic Observation
- Participant Observation
- Case Study
- Interview
- Focus Group
- Oral History
- Archival Study
- Small N Study
- Other
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- More
GROUPS
- Between Subjects
- Within Subjects
- Mixed
VARIABLES
- Independent (number, levels)
- Dependent (number, quantitative or qualitative, continuous or discrete)
- Extraneous (how controlled or not)
EXPLORATORY DATA ANALYSIS & STATISTICS
- Graphs
- Descriptive Statistics
- Correlations
- Confidence Intervals
- NHST Tests and Significance (e.g., t-test, ANOVA, chi-square)
- Nonparametric Tests (e.g., Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed Ranks, Spearman correlation coefficient)
- Effect Sizes
CONTROLLING EXTRANEOUS VARIABLES
- Via design
- Via procedures
As we note in chapter 3, any design that fails to properly follow the current ethical standards is, by definition, a bad design.
So, there are many aspects to research design. Careful researchers devote much time toward perfecting their design and then pilot testing it before collecting data for real.
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