Learn Before
Case Study

Based on your understanding of quasi-experimental designs, diagnose the specific research design used in this scenario. Explain what crucial element is missing from this design and justify why this omission makes it difficult to interpret the survey results.

Case context: A university psychology department introduces a mandatory two-hour stress management seminar for a group of incoming freshmen. At the end of the seminar, the administrators give the students a survey to measure their current stress levels and evaluate the program's success.

Question: Based on your understanding of quasi-experimental designs, diagnose the specific research design used in this scenario. Explain what crucial element is missing from this design and justify why this omission makes it difficult to interpret the survey results.

Sample answer: This scenario uses a one-group posttest only design. The crucial element missing is a control or comparison group. Without a comparison group, the administrators cannot determine what the students' stress levels would have been had they not completed the seminar, making it impossible to confidently conclude that the seminar itself influenced the students' outcomes.

Key points:

  • Diagnoses the design as a one-group posttest only design.
  • Identifies the missing element as a control or comparison group.
  • Explains that without this group, researchers cannot compare outcomes to those who did not receive the treatment.
  • Concludes that the outcomes without the treatment cannot be determined.

Rubric: The response must accurately identify the design as a one-group posttest only design, explicitly state that it lacks a comparison or control group, and demonstrate comprehension by explaining that without this comparison, the researchers cannot know the outcomes had the intervention not occurred.

0

1

Updated 2026-05-27

Contributors are:

Who are from:

Tags

KPU

Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

Related