Nonexperimental Research Design
The purpose of this nonexperimental research design is to provide a description of a phenomenon
What is descriptive?
A purpose of this design is to explain results. Conduct a quantitative survey to identify how two or more groups compare on a variable. Follow up with qualitative interviews to explore the reasons why these differences were found.
What is explanatory sequential design?
The notation for exploratory sequential design
What is qual --> quan
Name this nonexperimental research design.
A research team collects data from 600 high school students across four schools. Students report how many hours they spend on social media each day and complete a survey measuring their anxiety levels. The researchers then examine whether students who spend more time on social media tend to report different levels of anxiety compared to students who spend less time online.
What is correlational?
A disadvantage of internet based surveys
What is
Lower response rate; difficult follow-up
Required internet access, can create sampling bias
Cannot verify respondent identity
Self-selection bias; those who respond may differ from those who don't
Technical problems can impact who responds
The purpose of this nonexperimental research design is to compare dependent variable values of two or more levels of an independent variable
What is comparative?
A purpose of this design is to compare results. Directly compare the results from qualitative data collection to the results from quantitative data collection. Support statistical trends by qualitative themes or vice versa.
What is convergent design?
The notation for explanatory sequential design
What is
QUAN --> qual
quan --> QUAL
Name this nonexperimental research design.
Researchers want to know whether prior participation in high school athletics is related to college academic performance. Using existing records, they identify first-year college students who previously participated in varsity sports and those who did not, then compare their GPAs to examine differences between the two pre-existing groups.
What is ex post facto?
A difference between cross-sectional and longitudinal survey designs
What is...
Page 9 of Lecture 11
The purpose of this nonexperimental research design is to suggest causal conclusions by comparing groups that receive naturally occurring interventions
What is causal-comparative?
A purpose of this design is to locate an instrument. Collect qualitative data and identify themes. Use these themes as a basis for locating instruments that use parallel concepts to the qualitative themes.
What is exploratory design?
The notation for convergent design
What is
QUAN + QUAL
quan + QUAL
QUAN + qual
Name this nonexperimental research design.
In Fall 2022, a research team collected data from incoming high school freshmen, including their middle school GPA and attendance records. Two years later, the researchers obtained updated records showing students’ current GPA and whether they were on track for graduation. The team then analyzed whether earlier academic and attendance patterns were related to later academic standing.
What is correlational?
The difference between causal-comparative and ex post-facto research designs
What is
To suggest causal conclusions by comparing groups that receive naturally occurring interventions vs. groups that received different interventions in the past
Presumed cause is not under researcher's direct control vs. presumed cause already occured
A disadvantage of nonexperimental research designs
What is
Cannot establish causation --> no random assignment or manipulation of variables
Unmeasured confounding variables in observed relationships
Selection bias
However, there are empirical strategies that can account for the lack of randomization that allow for causal inference such as difference-in-differences approach or regression discontinuity design
An advantage of convergent design
What is
Efficient design in terms of time for implementation and data collect because both types of data are collected and analyzed at the same time
Both qualitative and quantitative data can be collected and analyzed independently of one another, well suited for collaboration or research teams
This aspect of the notation indicate the method given priority in the study
What is the uppercase letters?
Name this nonexperimental research design.
A research team is interested in whether students enrolled in online courses perform differently from students enrolled in in-person courses. At the end of the semester, the researchers collect final exam scores from both groups and compare the average scores to see whether there are differences in performance between the two instructional formats.
What is comparative?
The difference between predictor variable and criterion variable
What is
a variable used to predict the outcome (like an IV, but not actively manipulated) vs. the predicted variable (like a DV, the outcome we want to forecast)
A method to turn a survey study into a longitudinal design
What is
Survey same students across multiple years
Collect pre- and post-start time change data
Measure IV and DV at multiple time points
Cohort tracking
Track changes within individuals
An example of a convergent mixed method research question using school start time and your choice of DV.
What is
What is the relationship between school start time and GPA, and how do students describe their study strategies?
What percentage of students report difficulty waking up for school, and how do students describe the challenges they face?
Is there a difference in GPA between students who have earlier start times and students who have later start times, and how do students describe their school experiences in each condition?
What is the association between school start time and students absenteeism, and how do students describe their experiences of stress at school?
This aspect of the notation indicate the methods occur concurrently
What is the plus sign (+)?
Name this nonexperimental research design.
A researcher wants to determine whether fourth-grade students who attended full-day kindergarten differ in reading achievement from those who attended half-day kindergarten. The researcher identifies two existing groups of students based on the type of kindergarten program they attended and compares their current reading scores to examine whether differences exist between the groups.
What is causal-comparative?
The difference between r and r². Interpret the example r below.
r = +.85
What is
r explains the degree of relationship between two or more variables
r = +.85 --> substantial positive, as X increases, Y increases mostly
r² is the coefficient of determination and it explains the proportion of variance in Y explained by X
r² = .72 -->72% of the variance in Y is explained by X