Handout 2

HANDOUT 2 (PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2)
LESSON 3 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
OBJECTIVES: After this lesson, the students should be able to:

1. Increase the vocabulary by giving the meanings, characteristics and examples of terms used to explain some
concepts about experimental research;
2. Obtain a thorough or an in-depth understanding of experimental research;
3. Justify the link between scientific thinking and experimental thinking;
4. Identify the reason behind the differences between experimental research and quasi-experimental research.
DEFINITION:
Experimental research is a quantitative research that treats or deals with the objects or subject of the
research in a definite or exact manner and determines the extent of the effects or influence of the treatment on the
subjects/object, then discovers the cause of such effects. Two groups are involved in any experimental research :
experimental group, the one on which the treatment on influences is applied and control group, which does not receive
any treatment.
CLASSIFICATION:
Experimental research is categorized into two: true experimental research and quasi-experimental research.
Based on where the experimental research is done, it is either laboratory research or field research. The true experimental
research absolutely uses random selection in determining who among the participants should compose the experimental group
of the control group. Quasi-experimental research adopts a comparative technique in choosing the subjects.
The experimental group on which the treatment or condition is applied is not chosen randomly but matched or
compared with another group whom you, the researcher, believe as having the same characteristics as the experimental group
under treatment. Employing researchers influence in sampling or subjects selection. Quasi-experimental research fails to quality
as a genuine experimental research.
RESEARCH DESIGN OF NON – EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

Any plan you have about a non-experimental research must have the following aspects that take place in a sequential
manner:
1. Specify the problem or topic of your research
2. Formulate the research problem or hypothesis
3. Determine the dependent and independent variables
4. Select the participants or subjects
5. Decide on the specific type of experimental research; meaning, whether it will be a true experimental or quasi-
experimental research.
6. Conduct the experiment
7. Collect, analyze and interpret the results.
In conducting an experimental research, first give a pre-test to examine the initial condition of both groups in relation to a
variable, condition or factor; second, apply to the control group a new condition; and third, give the latter group a post test to
determine the effects or influence of the treatment or condition applied on them.
There are many ways of letting a variables, factor or condition intervene or have an application on the subjects and of
later determining the effects of such intervention. Here are some of these methods: 1) treatment evapluation, 2) pre-test and
post test of multiple treatments or conditions. The first one is called ex post facto or after the fact: meaning, evaluation comes
after the treatment. Multiple treatment, on the other hand, makes you apply on the subjects, not just one but also varied
treatment methods like using books, interview or social networking.
QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Usually, participants chosen in a quasi-experimental research are those forming a class that remains as one group
incapable of disintegration. The not randomly chosen participants are subjected to any of these types of quasi-experimental
research (MUijs 2011).
1. Matched comparison
 Choosing a treatment group and another that has similarities with the treatment group.
2. Time-series quasi-experimental research
 Giving them series of pre-test and post tests.
3. Single-subject quasi-experimental research
 Controls treatment and condition applied to just one individual or a group.
In which filed of knowledge does true experimental research usually take place?
 Physics
 Chemistry
 Biology
 Pharmacy
 And other field of hard science
QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
1. Psychology
2. Sociology
3. Humanities
4. Literature
5. And other social science subjects
LESSON 4: NON-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
DEFINITION:
Non-experimental research is a way of finding out truths about a subject by describing the collected data about such
subject and determining their relationships or conditions with one another. Any treatment or condition is not involved in this
type of research. But there is a measuring of variables here; hence, once you do a non-experimental research, you deal with
both qualitative and quantitative data. Your desire to discover people’s thoughts, views, feelings and attitudes about a certain
societal issue, object, place or event causes you yo use non-experimental research.
CHARACTERISTICS:
1. It is incapable of establishing cause-effect relationship; by itself, it is able, if it take place in conjunction with
other experimental and quasi-experimental research methods.
2. It involves various ways of data analysis;
a. Primary – analysis of data collected by the researcher himself.
b. Secondary – examination of data collected by other people.
c. Meta-analysis – analysis of data expressed numerically.
3. It uses research methods that applicable to both quantitative and qualitative data.
SURVEY RESEARCH
DEFINITION:
It is the most used non-experimental research in the field of Sociology, Psychology and Humanities. Inquiries,
Investigation and experiments also happen in this type of non-experimental research.
PURPOSE OF SURVEY RESEARCH:

1. To obtain information about people’s opinions and feeling about an issue
2. To identify present condition, needs or problem of people in a short span of time.
3. To seek answer to social problems.
4. To give school officials pointers on curricular offerings, guidance and counselling services, teachers evaluation and
others.
PLANNING A SURVEY RESEARCH:
The research design of a survey research is similar to that of the experimental rese3acr, only , that when it comes to
data collection method and instrument, survey research goes through the following phrases:
1. Explanation of objectives clearly.
2. Formulation of research questions or hypothesis to predict relationships of variables.
3. Determination of the exact kind of data referred to by the hypothesis or research questions.
4. Assurance of the population or group of people to which the findings will be applied to.
5. Finalization of the sampling methods for selecting the participants.
6. Identification of the methods or instrument in collecting data; that is, whether it is questionnaire on paper, through
phone, via computer, or face-to-face.
STRENGTHS OF SURVEY RESEARCH:
Stressing the effectiveness and usefulness of survey research, Schutt(2013) gives the following pluses of survey
research:
1. Versatility: it can tackle any issue affecting society.
2. Efficiency: it is not costly in terms of money and time, assuming there is excellent communication or postal
system.
3. Generally: It can get a good representation or sample of a large group of people.
4. Confidentiality: it is capable of safeguarding the privacy or anonymity of the respondents.
WEAK POINTS OF SURVEY RESEARCH:
1. It cannot provide sufficient evidence about the relationship of variables.
2. It cannot examine the significance of some issues affecting people’s social life.
3. It cannot get data reflecting the effects of the interconnectedness of environmental features on the research study.
4. It cannot consider man’s naturalistic tendencies as the basis of human behaviour unless his ways or styles of living are
related to his surroundings.
5. It cannot promote interpretive and creative thinking unless it formation of ideas results from scientific thinking.
6. It cannot have an effective application to all topics for research.
7. It cannot use a questioning or coding methods that can accurately register differences among the participants
responses.
8. It cannot diffuse the main researcher’s abilities to control and manipulate some factors affecting the study.
9. It cannot account for real or actual happenings, but can give ideas on respondents views, beliefs, concepts, and
emotions.
Ethical principles and rules in survey research:
1. Respect whatever decision a person has about your research work for his participation in your study comes from his or
her own decision making powers.
2. Make sure that your study will be instrumental in elevating the living conditions of people around you or in bringing
about world progress.
3. Conduct your research work in a way that the respondents will be safe from any injury or damage that may arise from
their physical and emotional involvement in the study.
4. Practice honesty and truthfulness in reporting about the results of your study.
5. Accept the reality that the nature, kind and extent of responses to your questions depend solely on the dispositions of
the respondents.
6. Decide properly which information should go public or secret.
7. Stick to your promise of safeguarding the secrecy of some information you obtained from the respondents.

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HANDOUT 2 (PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2)

LESSON 3 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

OBJECTIVES: After this lesson, the students should be able to:

RESEARCH DESIGN OF NON – EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

LESSON 4: NON-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH

PURPOSE OF SURVEY RESEARCH:

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