Chapter 6 Flashcards
Quantitative Research Design
*Measure effectiveness of interventions
RIGOROUS
Test a theory of relationships
Describe a phenomenon with objective precision
Concerned with internal validity
**Aim for generalizability (External validity)
**Quantitative designs are only used for generalizing
Qualitative Research Design
Understand social relationships
Determine the meaning of events and phenomenon
**Qualitative design entrusts reliability, trustworthiness.
**Transferability
Experimental Design
Designs that include:
Manipulation of an intervention
Random assignment of subjects to groups
A control group
Exert the greatest amount of control over extraneous factors
Are usually longitudinal with at least two time points of measurement
Symbolically are often represented using “X” for the intervention and “O” for observations
Strengths: Provides the most rigourous test of effectiveness of interventions
Limitations: difficult to do/implement, may be impossible or ethically undesirable to withhold treatment from the control group
Quasi-Experimental Design
Controls the independent variable (manipulates it) but will lack either:
A control group or
Random assignment
SOMETIMES lacks either or
Strengths: Enables scrutiny of casuality
Limitations: Cannot definitiviley determine causailty, level of evidence provided is weaker than with experimental designs.
Control vs Treatment Group
A control group is used as a baseline measure. The control group is identical to all other items or subjects that you are examining with the exception that it does not receive the treatment or the experimental manipulation that the treatment group receives. For example, when examining test tubes for catalytic reactions of enzymes when added to a specific substrate, the control test tube would be identical to all other test tubes with the exception of lacking the enzyme.
The treatment group is the item or subject that is manipulated. In our example, all other test tubes containing enzyme would be part of the treatment group.
Qualitative study designs
Phenomenology
Ethnography
Grounded theory
Historical
**All qualitative designs specifically attempt to AVOID introducing external control
Phenomenology
A qualitative method used to discover and develop understanding of experiences as perceived by those living the experience
Seeks to AVOID external control
Data usually collected through unstructured interviewing, seeking richness and depth of understanding
Ethnography
A qualitative method used when culture is an important part of or the actual phenomenon of interest
Researcher participates or immerses self in the culture
Data are collected and analyzed concurrently and used to refine further data collection
Grounded theory
A qualitative method used to study interactions
The method results in a theory “grounded” in the participants’ reality.
Data collection includes interviews and observation.
Terms that reflect TIME in quantitative designs
Retrospective = data are collected about past events or factors Prospective = data are collected about events or variables as they occur, moving forward in time
Terms that reflect level of CONTROL in quantitative designs
Random assignment = (remember) each member of sample has an equal opportunity to be in the study
Comparison group = a group of subjects similar to those studied, but who differ on an independent variable. Occurs naturally
Correlation Design
Quantifies strength and direction of a relationship
Predictive Design
Search for variables that can explain or predict an outcome