Experimental Design Mini-Study
Research Portfolio: Experimental Design Mini-Study
This week’s mini-study will focus on experimental research methods. In order to conduct your experimental mini-study please complete the following:
- Identify your research question:
- Discuss how you know that this research question is appropriate for experimental research methods.
- Identify your independent and dependent variables. Explain how you will operationally define these variables.
- Identify your study’s conditions
- Treatment condition(s)
- Control condition(s)
- Discuss the methods section of your study:
- Participants-who will be included in your study. What sampling technique will you use?
- Procedures-what will take place during your study? What instructions will be provided to participants?
- Data-what data or evidence will you collect? How will this address your research question?
- Things to consider when designing your experimental mini-study include:
- Validity- Think about the level of control you have over your variable of interest. Would an experiment or quasi-experiment be best given your research question? Would between participants or within participants designs help eliminate the possibility of confounding variables?
- Reliability- How will your operational definitions contribute to concrete, unambiguous measurement of your dependent variable?
- Conduct your experimental mini-study
- Use the data collected to complete your experimental mini-study review
.doc file
Answer preview
This study’s research question is ”how does living in poverty affect black children’s mental health.’’ Experimental research design is useful in the measurement of mental health outcomes for different socioeconomic conditions. The relationship between poverty and children’s mental health has been confirmed through experimental research designs (Leventhal, & Brooks-Gunn, 2003). This research question is appropriate for an experimental research method since the test variables can be manipulated to provide different outcomes. Different factors characterize poverty, and each has a unique impact on mental health conditions. Determination of the mental health consequences for children in different socioeconomic conditions is possible in the black population. Children from families with high financial insecurity experience difficulties living in high-poverty neighborhoods and access to high-quality education. A comprehensive experimental design to provide better housing conditions is not feasible in a mini study, but the improvement of other socioeconomic issues can provide a wide range of data.
(1563words)
