Example of an Interrupted Time-Series Design: Student Absences
An interrupted time-series design can be illustrated by tracking the number of student absences per week in a course. In this scenario, the 'interruption' is the instructor beginning to publicly take daily attendance. If the multiple measurements show a consistently high number of absences before this treatment, followed by an immediate and sustained drop afterward, the treatment is deemed effective. However, if the long-term trend of absences remains virtually unchanged on average after the intervention, it suggests the treatment failed to produce a meaningful effect, even if minor weekly fluctuations exist.

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU
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Example of an Interrupted Time-Series Design: Student Absences
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A researcher measures student anxiety once before introducing a new study-skills workshop and once after. She observes a decrease in anxiety and concludes the workshop was effective. However, if anxiety levels naturally rise and fall from week to week, her conclusion may be unwarranted because a single pre- and post-measurement cannot distinguish a genuine treatment effect from ordinary fluctuations in the outcome variable.