Quantitative Research Designs: Descriptive non-experimental, Quasi-experimental or Experimental?

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Students often have difficulty classifying quantitative research designs. In quantitative research, designs can be classified into one of three categories: descriptive non-experimental, quasi-experimental or experimental. To identify which of these designs your study is using follow the steps in this video.

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Students often have difficulty classifying quantitative research designs. In quantitative research, designs can be classified into one of three categories: descriptive non-experimental, quasi-experimental or experimental. To identify which of these designs your study is using follow the steps in this video.
First, ask yourself if the researchers did anything to the participants. More specifically, was there an intervention?
...If the answer is yes, there was an intervention, then the study is either a quasi-experimental or experimental. I will tell you how to decide in a moment.
If the answer is no, the study is descriptive non-experimental. Sure, you could be more specific in the description of the design, but for the purposes of grouping your research in a literature review this label is often sufficient at an undergraduate level.
Descriptive non-experimental studies may also be called observational. Some examples of more specific labels include case control, cohort and correlational studies. ...
To find out if the design is experimental ask yourself if it is a randomized controlled trial. Randomized controlled trials are considered the gold standard or "best" possible design (in quantitative research). You may also hear randomized controlled trails referred to as true experiments. However, in the real world it is difficult to conduct a true randomized controlled trial in many situations, which means that a lot of studies are done that are not classified as randomized controlled trials.
Randomized control trials have three key components: a random sample, a control group and an intervention. If your study is truly a randomized control trial it should say in the abstract and/or the methods section of the article. If it doesn't say then it is likely that the study is either descriptive non-experimental or quasi-experimental. You can tell the difference by looking into the methods section further.
...If there is no control group than the study is quasi-experimental. A control group is a group of people that enter the study but do not receive the intervention under study. Instead, they are used for the purpose of comparison.
If the sample was not randomized properly or adequately or even at all then the study is also quasi-experimental. You may also see this type of study being called a non-randomized trial. ...
Sometimes I see students that are confused about the study design because of terms that relate to the length of time the study was conducted or the sampling process. ...
Terms like cross-sectional and longitudinal tell you how much time the study was conducted over. Cross sectional means that data were collected at one point in time. Longitudinal means that data were collected over a long period of time. These terms alone will not tell you if the study is descriptive non-experimental, quasi-experimental or experimental. If you use these words to describe your study design in the absence of one of the labels we discussed in this video you will not have given your teacher enough information about the study design to properly classify it.
Other confusing terms often relate to the way samples were collected, like convenience sampling. Convenience sampling means that the sample was readily available or accessible to the researchers. This term will give you the hint that the study does not have a random sample and is therefore not a randomized controlled trial, but you still need to classify it further as descriptive non-experimental or quasi-experimental.
To decide how to classify the design of a study you are looking at, follow the steps outlined in this video. Ask yourself the following three questions:
Was there an intervention?
Is there a control group?
Was the sample random?
...
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You just saved me from dropping out of school. Thank you.

chandadove
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you simplified in  6 minutes what my text made very confusing over 20 pages!  Thank you

wonger
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I rarely comment on YouTube videos, but this was worth commenting on - thank you so much for simplifying it. My head has been spinning trying to get round this subject - again thank you :)

sarasaz
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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I learned more in 6 minutes and 37 seconds than I did in hours of reading textbooks.

kwikwit
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I spent days trying to understand these concepts and because of you, I finally understand! I know it is frowned up[on in the research world, but youtube is the best source for finding information on any topic.

voxnihili
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omg life saver, i have been struggling for a few hours to identify what research design this one research is, and 1min into this video, i finally got it.... thank you

floverfloverflover
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you are truly amazing. People like you deserve to get paid for your skill to simplify things. You just save me.

noobbsaiboot
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You need to write the research book.!!!!The reason why everyone finds research difficult its because the books are written by someone who know research well not taking in consideration others like us who have no clue. Thank you for sharing your teaching expertise.

adahajdari
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I am in accounting research class, having problem with research design, thanks to your video I now understand a lot better!!!
Thank you!

TheShanahg
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The coolness with which you explained the concepts. I wished you were my teacher at school!

drsheikh
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This was SO helpful. I knew the heart of my research design but I didn't really know how to approach the description for the methodology of my design. I couldn't distinguish between correlational or causal-comparative or not. After watching this, I know my particular design is neither of those. THANKS!!

daphyneshine
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My professor recommends your video for our class, and it was extremely helpful!

Thank you :)

Apricorn
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Thank you for the clarity. This link was key in helping me grasp the subtle differences in quantitative research study designs.

slcascarano
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OMG!! AMAZING FLOW CHART! you truly go above and beyond. so helpful!! like extremely helpful!

akcross
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Thank you so much!!!! my peers and I continue to look forward to your videos every week!!!

alleychampagne
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I found your video very easy to follow and informative. The flowchart is useful, easy to follow and provided the clarification I needed. Thank you

gabriellekardon
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Omg made life easier thank you so much. And you have a beautiful voice. Very easy 😫😫 I wish you were my teacher

aryansaeedi
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Thnk you dr.Killam really you are such a great lecturer. You have showed me the right and easiest way to clasify research designs.

abdurahmaanhaaji
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Thank you for the clear, concise video. VERY helpful to a novice researcher!

kransey
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Designing my own research for the first time and I must say working out the study design, the size of the sample, statistical power, choosing the right measurements and so on can be daunting! I found your video very helpful although I am still unsure of what to call my study?! :D

amirabile