QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES
Experimental research:
Introduction:

ER – An attempt by researcher to maintain control over all factors that may affect the result of an experiment. In doing this, the researcher attempts to determine or predict what may occur

Briefly:
(Pg 262 – text book): The basic idea of ER is ….try something and systematically observe what happens……
Details explanation:
Formal experiments consist of two basic conditions;
1) At least two ( often more ) conditions or methods are compared to access the effects of particular conditions/treatments (the independent variable)
2) The independent variable is directly manipulated by the researcher
PURPOSE OF EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH:

1) Best for testing hypothesis of cause and effect relationship
2) Why to conduct experiment; basically the researcher is trying to learn something new about the world, an explanation of “why” something happens

ESSENTIALS OF EXPERIMENT RESEARCH”

The uniqueness of ER

• The only research that that directly attempts to influence a particular variable
• When it is applied; is a best type for testing hypotheses about cause and effect relationship
• The independent variable is also referred as the experimental or treatment variable; while dependant variable also known as outcome variable ( refers to the results or outcomes of the study)
o One group receiving treatment we name it as experimental group, the other one group, which is not receiving the treatment – control group
• Major characteristic that distinguishes it from other type of research is the researchers manipulate the independent variable.
• Decision can be made on the treatment ( what going to happen to the subject of the study ); to whom and to what extent the selected group should be treated;
• after the treatment has been administered for an appropriate lenghth of time; researchers observe or measure the groups receiving different treatments ( by means of a posttest of some sort ) to see if they differ ( @ whether the treatment made any difference). If do differ that means the treatment did have an effect and is likely the cause of the difference

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STEPS INVOLVED IN CONDUCTING AN EXDPERIMENT

1) Identify the problem – mention the one that ida/her friend going to explain
2) Formulate hypotheses and deduce (reasoning) the consequences
3) Construct the experimental design that represents all the elements, conditions and relations of the consequences

CHARACTERISTICS OF EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH:
1) One of the most powerful research methodologies that researchers can use, best way to establish cause-and-effect relationships among variables ( pg 261 buku teks)
2) Must involve two groups of subjects; an experimental group and a control or a comparison group.
3) The experimental group receives treatment ( as what prof said: eating ice cream) while control group /comparison group receives no treatment/different treatment
4) The control group is always important because the result enables researcher to determine whether the treatment has had an effect or whether one treatment is more effective than another
5) Manipulation of an independent variable; researcher deliberately and directly determines what forms the independent variable will take and then which group will get which form-(example pg 263 1st para last sentences)
6) Randomization; Important aspect in ER is the random assignment of subjects to groups- every individual who is participating in experiment has an equal chance of being assigned to any of the experimental or control conditions being compared; random selection every member of a population has an equal chance of being selected to be a member of the sample ( pg 263 )
7) Control of variables; Using ER has far more control:
a. Determine the treatment
b. Select sample
c. Assign individual to groups
d. Decide which group will get treatment
e. Try to control other factors besides the treatments that might influence the outcome of the study
f. Observe/measure the effect of the treatment on the groups when the treatment is completed


• Experimental Design

ED – A blueprint of the procedure that enables the researcher to test his hypothesis by reaching valid conclusions about relationships between independent and dependent variables. It refers to the conceptual framework within which the experiment is conducted.

All these 5 steps are essential to providing excellent results.


Stage one:
1) After deciding upon hypothesis / making predictions, is to specify sample groups. Should be large enough to give a statistically viable study, but small enough to be practical
2) Group should be selected randomly, to allow results to be generalized to the population as a whole, example : if use volunteers aged bet 18-24, the findings can only be generalized to that age group only

Stage two
1. Sample groups should be divided into two groups : control group and a test group ( to reduce the possibility of confounding variables). Assigning subjects to groups also should be blind or double blind to reduce chances of experimental error, or bias


Stage three
1. This stage involves determining the time scale and frequency of sampling ( either days, months / year)

Stage 4
This is the the penultimate stage of the experiment involves performing the exdperiment and according to the methods stipulated during the design phase

Stage 5
1. The raw data should be gathered and analyzed by statistical means. This allows researcher to establish ( if any relationship between the variables and accept or reject the null hypothesis )

ACTUAL EXAMPLES:
(REFER TO PG 262 OF THE TEXT BOOK – 6 EXAMPLES)

NOTES DLM BUKU TEXT – PG 264 ONWARDS ( LAST PARA)

VALIDITY:

1) The design can take a variety of forms, the good designs able to control threats to internal validity to avoid difficulty in assessing effectiveness of the independent variables. Designs that do not have controls for threats are weak and researchers have difficulty assessing the effectiveness of the independent variable
2)