Quantitative research designs descriptive non-experimental, Quasi-experimental or experimental PDF

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My lectures notes and additional learning materials from my Research Methods Module I completed as part of my BSC Adult Nursing 2014-2017....

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Quantitative research designs: Descriptive non-experimental, Quasi-experimental or experimental? In quantitative research designs can be classified into three categories descriptive non-experimental, quasiexperimental or experimental. Here is how to identify between the three.

Step 1: Was there an intervention? If yes to intervention, then the quantitative research design is either quasi-experimental or experimental. No intervention then the study is descriptive non-experimental

Interventions include support groups, educational sessions + treatment An intervention can be anything that the researcher gives to the participant that they wouldn’t normally have without the study. The researcher gives the participant the intervention to see the effects. Research texts sometimes deem intervention as manipulation as the researcher has provided an intervention to in return receive some kind of measurable result.

Descriptive non-experimental can also be known as observational studies. All descriptive non-experimental studies include - observational - exploratory -survey - case control - cohort - correlational

Step 2: Is there a control group? If no control group = quasi -experimental If there was a control group = then ask was there random sampling? A control group is a group of people that enter the study but do NOT receive the intervention instead they are used for the purpose of comparison.

Step 3: Is there random sampling? (RCT) Random sampling = experiment No random sampling = Quasi -experimental A randomized study means that everyone who entered the study had an equal chance of receiving the intervention under study.

RCT’s are the gold standard research design in quantitative research. RCT’s can be known as ‘true experiments’ however realistically it is difficult to conduct a true RCT which means that a lot of studies which are done are not classified as a RCT. RCTs have three key components - random sample, a control group and an intervention. MUST have all three components to be a true RCT. If a study is truly a RCT then it should say within the abstract and/or the methods section. If it doesn’t say the study is an RCT in the abstract/methods section, then it is likely that the study is either descriptive non—experimental or quasi-experimental. Partially randomized studies still do not count as true experiments/RCTs.

Confusing Terms Whilst some terms relate to study designs they are NOT broad enough to represent the methodology of the study and therefore do not give enough information to the reader about the study design. Terms like cross-sectional and longitudinal tells you how much time the study was conducted over. These terms alone will NOT tell you what the design of the study is. Cross sectional means that data were collected at one single point in time Longitudinal means that data were collected over a long period of time. Convenience sampling means that the sample was readily available/accessible to the researcher. This hints that the study does NOT have a random sample as therefore is not a RCT however you still to classify it further as either descriptive non-experimental or quasi-experimental....