Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research
An experimental design is the traditional approach to conducting quantitative research. This chapter defi nes experimental research, identifi es when you use it, assesses the key characteristics of it, and advances the steps in conducting and evaluating this design. By the end of this chapter, you should be able to: ◆ Defi ne experimental research, and describe when to use it, and how it developed. ◆ Identify the key characteristics of experiments. ◆ State the types of experimental designs. ◆ Recognize potential ethical issues in experimental research. ◆ Describe the steps in conducting an experiment. ◆ Evaluate the quality of an experimental study. Maria decides to conduct an experiment. She studies the question, “Do students who receive in-class instruction about the dangers of weapons in high school have different attitudes toward weapons than do students who do not receive instruction about the dangers?” Using two health classes to participate in her experiment, ...