Research Design: Experimental

It is important for educational researchers to at least be knowledgeable consumers of experimental research. These sites deal with social science research's use of experimental and quasi-experimental designs.

Types of Designs
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/destypes.htm
A Cornell University site that provides a concept map for understanding different approaches to designing experiments in the social sciences.

Experimental Designs
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/destypes.htm
A thorough treatment of the advantages of experimental design, believed by many to be the "gold standard" of social science research. But do educational researchers share the same need or practical capacity to conduct experimental research that is informative for practitioners?

Choosing a Design
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/desdes.htm
Much contemporary social research is devoted to examining whether a program, treatment, or manipulation causes some outcome or result. This is no less true in educational research. This page shows you some things to think about as you design your study.

Quasi-Experimental Designs
http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/quasiexp.htm
A quasi-experimental design is one that looks a bit like an experimental design but lacks the key ingredient—random assignment. This site gives some recommendations about the use of this technique.