Experimental Research Design

Learning objectives

• You can define the Experimental Research Method in terms of its key characteristics and in the way that it manipulates variables.
• You can explain the purpose of treatment and control groups.
• You can briefly describe internal and external validity as this applies to the Experimental Method.
• You can describe the major steps in designing and conducting an Experimental Research Study (i.e., definition of the problem, selection of subjects, construction of tools, validation of tools, etc.).
• You can describe the different kinds of Experimental Research Designs including (i) Pre-experimental Designs; (ii) Quasi-experimental Designs; and (iii) True Experimental Designs.
• You can summarize the methods, results, and conclusions of selected Experimental Research Studies.
• You can critique Experimental Research Studies using principles relating to data collection tools, sampling procedures, how they deal with non-response, the quality of the data analysis, and threats to experimental validity.
• You can identify useful applications (i.e., identifying important issues in need of experimental investigation) of the Experimental Research method in Cambodia, being sure to justify the appropriateness of this method for the investigation of the issues that they identify.