Chapter 13: Experimental Research

Activity 13.1: Group Experimental Research Questions

Activity 13.2: Designing an Experiment

Activity 13.3: Characteristics of Experimental Research

Activity 13.4: Random Selection Versus Random Assignment

Activity 13.1:

Group Experimental Research Questions

Which of the following questions would lend themselves well to group experimental research?

  1. What factors influence job success?
  1. Which is more effective in reducing the anxiety of clients, client-centered or traditional therapy?
  1. Does personal counseling improve student achievement?
  1. Why do teachers experience burnout?
  1. What is the relationship (if any) between teacher gender and student achievement?
  1. How did science textbooks used in the 1940s compare with those used today?
  1. Do students like history more if taught by the case study or the inquiry method?
  1. What makes a good high school counselor?
  1. What sorts of problems do most first-year teachers face?

Activity 13.2:

Designing an Experiment

Fizz Laboratories, a pharmaceutical company, has developed a new pain-relief medication. Sixty patients suffering from arthritis and needing pain relief are available. Each patient will be treated and then asked an hour later, “About what percentage of pain relief did you experience?” Work with another student to prepare answers to each of the following questions or tasks.

  1. Why should Fizz not simply administer the new drug and record the patient’s responses?
  1. Draw the design below of an experiment to compare the drug’s effectiveness with that of aspirin and a placebo.
  1. Should patients be told which group they are in? How would knowledge probably affect their reactions?
  1. If patients are not told which treatment they are receiving, the experiment is single-blind. Should this experiment also be double-blind? Explain.

Activity 13.3:

Characteristics of Experimental Research

Match the concept from Column A with the correct definition from Column B.

Column A / Column B
  1. Experimental group
  1. Control group
  1. Random selection
  1. Random assignment
  1. Independent variable
  1. Dependent variable
  1. Extraneous variable
  1. Matching
/
  1. Refers to the result(s) or outcome(s) being studied
  1. A process wherein every member of a population has an equal chance to be a member of the sample
  1. An unplanned-for variable that may be the cause of a result observed in a study
  1. The group that does not receive a treatment in an experiment
  1. A process of pairing two individuals whose scores on a particular measure are similar
  1. Sometimes referred to as the treatment variable in a study
  1. Every individual who is participating in an experiment has an equal chance of being assigned to any of the experimental or control conditions being compared
  1. The sample of individuals participating in an experiment
  1. The group that received a treatment of some sort in an experiment

Activity 13.4:

Random Selection vs. Random Assignment

Described below are four examples of randomization. Write RS if random selection is involved; RA if random assignment is involved; B if both random selection and random assignment are involved; or O if no randomization is involved.

  1. ______Using all fifth-grade classes in the campus demonstration school, a researcher divides the students in each class into two groups by drawing their names from a hat.
  1. ______All students with learning handicaps in a school district are identified and the names of 50 are pulled from a hat. The first 25 are given an experimental treatment, and the remainder are taught as usual.
  1. ______All third-grade students in an elementary school district who are being taught to read by the literature method are identified, as are all students who are being taught with basal readers. The names of all students in each group are placed in a hat and then 50 students from each group are selected.
  1. ______Students in three classes with computer assistance are compared with three classes not using computers.

Problem Sheet 13: Research Methodology

You should complete Problem Sheet 13 once you have decided which of the methodologies described in Chapters 13-17 and 19-24 you plan to use. You might wish to consider, however, whether your research question could be investigated by other methodologies.

  1. The question or hypothesis of my study is: ______

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  1. The methodology I intend to use is: ______

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  1. Describe how you will conduct the study, i.e., the data collection process. When, where, and how will you collect the data? Over what time span will the data be gathered, and in what types of situations? Can you foresee any limitations or problems? ______

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  1. If you are planning an intervention study (e.g. an experiment), please discuss in detail the intervention or treatment planned. ______

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  1. The major problems I foresee at this point include the following:

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