The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences Volume 1: Building a Program of Research
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I From Idea to Reality: The Basics of Research
- Part II The Building Blocks of a Study
- Part III Data Collection
- 13 Cross-Sectional Studies
- 14 Quasi-Experimental Research
- 15 Non-equivalent Control Group Pretest–Posttest Design in Social and Behavioral Research
- 16 Experimental Methods
- 17 Longitudinal Research: A World to Explore
- 18 Online Research Methods
- 19 Archival Data
- 20 Qualitative Research Design
- Part IV Statistical Approaches
- Part V Tips for a Successful Research Career
- Index
- References
14 - Quasi-Experimental Research
from Part III - Data Collection
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2023
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology
- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I From Idea to Reality: The Basics of Research
- Part II The Building Blocks of a Study
- Part III Data Collection
- 13 Cross-Sectional Studies
- 14 Quasi-Experimental Research
- 15 Non-equivalent Control Group Pretest–Posttest Design in Social and Behavioral Research
- 16 Experimental Methods
- 17 Longitudinal Research: A World to Explore
- 18 Online Research Methods
- 19 Archival Data
- 20 Qualitative Research Design
- Part IV Statistical Approaches
- Part V Tips for a Successful Research Career
- Index
- References
Summary
In this chapter, we discuss the logic and practice of quasi-experimentation. Specifically, we describe four quasi-experimental designs – one-group pretest–posttest designs, non-equivalent group designs, regression discontinuity designs, and interrupted time-series designs – and their statistical analyses in detail. Both simple quasi-experimental designs and embellishments of these simple designs are presented. Potential threats to internal validity are illustrated along with means of addressing their potentially biasing effects so that these effects can be minimized. In contrast to quasi-experiments, randomized experiments are often thought to be the gold standard when estimating the effects of treatment interventions. However, circumstances frequently arise where quasi-experiments can usefully supplement randomized experiments or when quasi-experiments can fruitfully be used in place of randomized experiments. Researchers need to appreciate the relative strengths and weaknesses of the various quasi-experiments so they can choose among pre-specified designs or craft their own unique quasi-experiments.
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- The Cambridge Handbook of Research Methods and Statistics for the Social and Behavioral SciencesVolume 1: Building a Program of Research, pp. 292 - 313Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023
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