Research Design Glossary Entry Instructions Overview The candidate will complete the research design glossary template for Quantitative, Single-Subject and Qualitative methodologies. The template w

Research Design: Quantitative Quasi-Experimental Design

Part 1: Definitions

Personal Definition:\

Definition:

Quantitative quasi-experimental design determines effectiveness of specific interventions of a target population. The intervention is applied to a fraction of the population, then effects are noted. The results are then compared to a second section of the group that did not receive the intervention the difference illustrates the intervention’s effectiveness.

Quasi-experimental design is an approach applied to determine the cause-effect relationships among study variables. The independent and dependent variables are identified, and the effects of the independent variable(s) on the dependent variables are quantified (Otte et al., 2019). The results are compared to the control group to determine the difference.

Reference:

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Part 2: Explore with Words

Antonym: Grounded Theory

Opposite: True Experimentation

The antonym of quasi-experimental design is the grounded theory. The grounded theory is a qualitative research approach that is applied in a bid to identify emerging trends from the collected data. The trends can then be analyzed to formulate theories based on the effects of dependent variables on independent variables (Williams, Boylan & Nunan, 2020). Just like the quantitative quasi-experimental design, the grounded theory is inductive in nature in that it does not begin with predetermined theories that guide the research to explain a phenomenon (Williams, Boylan & Nunan, 2020).

True experimentation is the synonym for quasi-experimentation. True experimentation utilizes scientific methodologies to establish a cause-effect relationship among variables applied in a study. Unlike quasi-experimentation that is only concerned with relevant variables, true experimentation involves identification and control of all dependent variables by manipulating the independent variable to determine the change (Kozleski, 2017).

Words associated with:

Sentence:

Comparison group, treatment groups, baseline, intervention, indicators, instrumental variable estimation.

The quasi-experimental design involves selection of two groups with baseline characteristics; the comparison group is not manipulated whereas the treatment group is manipulated to derive indicators that are then analyzed through instrumental variable estimation to remove biases thereby deriving values that can be used to determine the effects of the treatment or intervention.

Part 3: Purpose and Quality Indicators

Answers Research Questions about:

The purpose of the quasi-experimental design is to determine the effectiveness of specific educational interventions on the ease of students’ understanding of the concept taught in school. The experimental design seeks to examine the suitability and applicability of the interventions in class of students with special needs, and the extent to which the interventions can improve students’ ability to understand and apply the concepts taught without difficulties. The quasi-experimental design is also expected to help determine the extent to which the applied instructional interventions can effectively increase the instruction quality, and students’ learning experience when applied in the classroom context.

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Characteristics:

The education-based quality indicators of quasi-experimentation relate to the settings where the interventions are applied, and the educational content of concern. The interventions should facilitate easy understanding of the concepts taught among all students in the classroom. Specific content-based quality indicators for assessing the quality of interventions include but not limited to formative assessment such as impromptu questions and classroom discussions (Bal & Trainor, 2016).

The characteristics of the quality of quasi-experimental design include its ability to critically and comprehensively address multiple dimensions including competing ideas, and alternative idealization (Bal & Trainor, 2016). Furthermore, the relevance of the design addresses education needs of the target population in different settings such as school and community education-based needs of the target population.

Sampling / Participants

Participant sampling is systematic in that specific characteristics considered to ensure that all important elements under consideration are portrayed by the group. As such, the main characteristics under consideration include low attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, autism, and learning difficulties. Since, some participants have these characteristics in common, the criteria for selection include: each individual should have at least one of the characteristics. Furthermore, the participants should be from different grades, and should consist of culturally diverse students from different socioeconomic settings. The essence of selecting participants from different grades is the need to generalize the findings to students in all grades.

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Intervention Fidelity / Independent Variable

The independent variable is the intervention applied. Hence, audiovisual resources such as sound prompts and display screens are the independent variables while the dependent variable is relief of students’ learning. The effectiveness of audiovisual equipment has shown to improve learning and increase attention of students with attention deficit. Diagrammatical illustrations improve their ability to conceptualize ideas and concentration, and sound prompts help students to manage time (Sediyani, 2017). Students may concentrate on images rather than concepts, the attention given to the images alone contributes to their comprehension of the ideas since the images are graphical representation of the ideas presented.

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Instrumentation / Measures

The measures applied during quasi-experimentation design involves testing casual hypothesis that are tested by data-collection and analysis (Sediyani, 2017). The design involves two groups, the treated and untreated, this measurement involves analysis to the extent to which, interventions improve learning among students with special needs. This is done by comparing the performance of the treated group of participants with the performance of the control group. Differentiation represents the effectiveness of the interventions in improving instruction and learning experience of the participants (Sediyani, 2017). The difference may quantify using mean values of the performance outcomes of the two groups under study.

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Internal Validity

Internal validity expresses the accuracy of the findings of the cause-effect relationship among the treatment and comparison groups. In this case, the internal validity is low since differences among individual participants and statistical regression reduce the internal validity of the findings (Sediyani, 2017). In this regard, other factors that are not included in the experiment can have direct or indirect influence on the performance of the treated group, which in turn reduce the internal validity of the results after comparing the results. Statistical regression involves several steps that entail rounding off digits in order to make the calculations less cumbersome.

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Outcome Measures / Dependent Variable

The dependent variables are elements that change with corresponding to independent variables. In this case, the dependent variable is the ease with which students learn when the interventions have been introduced. The dependent variable is expected to increase with the manipulation of dependent variables. For instance, the ease or effectiveness of learning is expected to increase with the use of the audiovisual equipment. The more appropriate the audiovisual equipment, the higher the effectiveness of learning. The quality of the audiovisual equipment refers to color effects on images and videos, and audibility of the sounds used for alerting the participants.

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Data Collection / Analysis

The data collection method used is systematic observation. This process involves observing the participants under controlled conditions such as, classroom settings where students are placed in study groups (Handley, Lyles, McCulloch & Cattamanchi, 2018). Data analysis involves statistical regression and determination of the mean, performance outcomes of the control and treatment groups respectively. The mean of both groups is compared to find the difference. If the treatment group’s mean is higher than control group, the intervention can be considered effective. However, if it’s lower than the control group, it means that the intervention is ineffective.

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Part 4: Strengths, Weaknesses, and Critical Issues.

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

In quasi-experimentation, participant description includes individual, group, institution, and social dimensions with regard to the context of intervention in the control and treatment groups (Bal & Trainor, 2016). There recruitment process entails differentiation according to participants’ demographics, experiences, and preferences. Description of the participants’ settings including political, social, and economic contexts is elaborate. The design also provides a rationale for the data-gathering approaches used including participants’ needs, abilities, and preferences (Bal & Trainor, 2016). Furthermore, the interventions applied are also aligned to the participants’ experiences as well as preferences in real life settings. The design also applies culturally appropriate methods while at the same time contributing to an improvement of instruction quality and outcomes, personal identities, and critical perspectives on education (Bal & Trainor, 2016). Lastly, the dissemination approaches of quasi-experimental designs are strategically chosen to optimize knowledge exchange with clarification of the benefits of applying the intervention more appropriately.

The quasi-experimentation is inductive in nature in that the results are used to develop theory. Since the design has issues with internal validity, the theoretical ideas derived from the experiments may be inaccurate.

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Critical Issues to Identify:

When reviewing this design, it is critical to examine individual characteristics pertaining to the study of population. There is a necessity to understand the background of participants including socioeconomic factors that may not be included but can impact on the results. There is an importance to ensure that participants in the treatment groups and the control groups have the same characteristics in common (Sediyani, 2017). This ensures that there no differences between the groups as the differences can negatively impact on the validity of the results. Furthermore, ensuring that there are no positive or negative factors influencing the results.

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What Will Help Me Remember:

Recording the data gathered can help me to remember them. This can be attained by using different tools such as paper documentation, video, and audio recordings.

Unique to Special Education:

How does this research design meet unique needs in special education?

What unique problems does this design have when implementing in special education?

The research design involves the selection of participants with education-related needs, and factors in social, individual, and education-specific parameters.

The problem with this design is that it involves systematic selection of participants with characteristics that may not be common to all regions. The internal validity is also low.

Prominent Researchers:

Bal, A., & Trainor, A. A. (2016).

Resources:

Audiovisual equipment.

APA References

Bal, A., & Trainor, A. A. (2016). Culturally responsive experimental intervention studies: The development of a rubric for paradigm expansion. Review of Educational Research, 86(2), 319-359.

Handley, M. A., Lyles, C. R., McCulloch, C., & Cattamanchi, A. (2018). Selecting and improving quasi-experimental designs in effectiveness and implementation research. Annual Review of Public Health, 39, 5-25.

Kozleski, E. B. (2017). The uses of qualitative research: Powerful methods to inform evidence-based practice in education. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 42(1), 19-32.

Otte, C. R., Bølling, M., Stevenson, M. P., Ejbye-Ernst, N., Nielsen, G., & Bentsen, P. (2019). Education outside the classroom increases children’s reading performance: Results from a one-year quasi-experimental study. International Journal of Educational Research, 94, 42-51.

Sediyani, T. (2017). Integration of Audio-Visual Multimedia for Special Education Pre-Service Teachers' Self Reflections in Developing Teaching Competencies. Journal of Education and Practice, 8(6), 106-112.

Williams, V., Boylan, A. M., & Nunan, D. (2020). Critical appraisal of qualitative research: necessity, partialities and the issue of bias. BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 25(1), 9-11.