Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
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Notation Paradigm
Comments
To attempt to explain a
consequent by an
antecedent
One-shot
experimental case
study
X O
OXO
Static group
comparison
Group 1: X O
Weakness lies in no
examination of preexperimental equivalence of
groups. Conclusion is reached
by comparing the performance
of each group to determine the
effect of a variable on one of
them.
Group 2: - O
True Experimental Design - greater control and refinement, greater control of validity
Pretest-posttest
control group
Notation Paradigm
R--[OX
O
[O-
O
Solomon four-group
design
R--[OX
O
[O-
O
Comments
O
O
To evaluate a situation that
cannot be pretested
[- X
[--
R--[ XO
[-O
Notation Paradigm
Comments
To investigate a situation
in which random selection
and assignment are not
possible
Nonrandomized
control group pretestposttest
OXO
Time series
experiment
OOXO
O
OOXO
O
O-O
OO-O
O
To control history in time
designs with a variant of
the above design
Equivalent timesamples
http://www.okstate.edu/ag/agedcm4h/academic/aged5980a/5980/newpage2.htm
Pre-Experimental Designs
Pre-experiments are the simplest form of research design. In a pre-experiment either a
single group or multiple groups are observed subsequent to some agent or treatment
presumed to cause change.
Static-group comparison
Static-group comparison
A group that has experienced some treatment is compared with one that has not. Observed
differences between the two groups are assumed to be a result of the treatment.
Validity of Results
An important drawback of pre-experimental designs is that they are subject to numerous
threats to their validity. Consequently, it is often difficult or impossible to dismiss rival
hypotheses or explanations. Therefore, researchers must exercise extreme caution in
interpreting and generalizing the results from pre-experimental studies.
One reason that it is often difficult to assess the validity of studies that employ a preexperimental design is that they often do not include any control or comparison group.
Without something to compare it to, it is difficult to assess the significance of an observed
change in the case. The change could be the result of historical changes unrelated to the
treatment, the maturation of the subject, or an artifact of the testing.
Even when pre-experimental designs identify a comparison group, it is still difficult to
dismiss rival hypotheses for the observed change. This is because there is no formal way to
determine whether the two groups would have been the same if it had not been for the
treatment. If the treatment group and the comparison group differ after the treatment, this
might be a reflection of differences in the initial recruitment to the groups or differential
mortality in the experiment.
Disadvantages
Pre-experiments offer few advantages since it is often difficult or impossible to rule out
alternative explanations. The nearly insurmountable threats to their validity are clearly the
most important disadvantage of pre-experimental research designs.