Quarter 2

MELC: Chooses appropriate quantitative research design

CG CODE: CS_RS12-IIa-c-1

Experimental Research Design

After going through this learning material, you are expected to:
a. identify experimental research and its designs;
b. examine a sample quantitative research depicting an experimental research
design; and
c. write a draft of research design using your own research topic.

• PRETEST
Directions: Read and analyze the following statements. Choose the letter of the best
answer and write your answer in your answer sheet.
1. What is TRUE about experimental research?
A. It is used to describe a phenomenological event.
B. It is used to determine what is the right and wrong decision.
C. It is used to generalize the behavior of the subjects of the study.
D. It is used to trace cause-and-effect relationship between variables.
2. What type of experimental research design is best used in a setting where
randomization is hard or impossible to do?
A. Posttest-Only Research Design
B. True Experimental Research Design
C. Quasi-Experimental Research Design
D. Static Group Comparison Research Design
3. What is the most accurate type of experimental research design that require
randomization in selecting respondents?
A. Posttest-Only Research Design
B. True Experimental Research Design
C. Quasi-Experimental Research Design
D. Static Group Comparison Research Design
4. Which of the following cannot be considered as an innovation made through
conducting experimental research?
A. Integrating ICT in education
B. Promoting products using social media
C. Using bamboos and stones in making fire
D. Using advance medical technology in private hospital
5. At the beginning of the semester, Senior High School students are given a test to
determine their prior knowledge before the actual lesson starts. Before the end of
semester, the students are given the same test. This scenario is an example of what
experimental research design?
A. One-Shot Research Design
B. Pretest-Posttest Research Design
C. Pre-Experimental Research Design
D. Quasi-Experimental Research Design

Experimental Research Design

Experimental research is one of the most known research designs mainly
because it is a classical scientific experiment that is like the activities performed in
science classes (Formplus Blog 2020).
Experimental research is used to investigate the cause-and-effect relationship
between the variables. It is also known as intervention because you do more than just
observe the subject. Unlike in descriptive research, this design manipulates one
variable to see if it influences the other variable. A factor treatment is introduced into
the research investigation and the researcher attempt to isolate the effects of such
treatment by means of control (Faltado et al. 2017).
For example, a researcher wishes to find out if incorporating mobile games to
a normal class activity could increase the class performance of the students. Since a
researcher induce a certain change using mobile games, he/she is intervening with
normal class activity.
Experimental research is used when:
(1) there is time priority in a causal relationship (cause precedes effect);
(2) to establish the existence of a cause- and- effect relationship between two
variables;
(3) you plan to do manipulation with the variables.
Three Main Parts of Experiments
According to Wikibooks (2019) and Colombo Plan Staff College (2018), the
most customary experiments are:
1. Independent and Dependent Variables
• Independent variable. It is a manipulated variable that incurs change in
dependent variable. It is the “experimental stimulus”.
• Dependent variable. It is a variable being studied in the experiment. It is
expected to change when independent variable is manipulated.
2. Pretesting and Post testing
• Pretesting. It is the initial measurement of dependent variables among the
participants of the study.
• Post testing. It is the re-measurement of dependent variables among the
participants of the study after they have been introduced to independent
variables.
3. Experimental and Control Group
• Experimental group. This is the group exposed to the influence of intervention
or treatment. This group was used in administering the independent variable.
• Control group. This group is not exposed to any intervention or treatment.
• It is important to keep a close look to both group during experimental period.

Types of Experimental Research Design

As mentioned in the works of Faltado et al. (2017) and Colombo Plan Staff
College (2018), below are the types of experimental research design used in
quantitative research.

• Pre-experimental Research Design. This is the simplest form of

experimental research design and usually conducted without a control group. This
research design is further divided into three types.
Design 1. One-shot design. This design includes only one group (experimental group)
that is exposed to treatment and sometime after, a posttest is given to determine the
effects of the treatment.
Group Treatment Posttest
Experimental X O
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment

Design 2. One group pretest-posttest design. This design includes only one group
(experimental group) that is exposed to a treatment. The results of the pretest and
posttest are compared to determine the effects of the treatment.
 Group Pretest Treatment Posttest
Experimental O1 X O2
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment

Design 3. Static group comparison design. This design includes two groups (one
experimental group and the other is a control group). Both groups are given a posttest.
The posttest results of both groups are compared to determine the effects of the
treatment.
Group Treatment Posttest
Experimental X O1
Control O2
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment

• True Experimental Research Design. This is the most accurate experimental

research design. The distribution of samples for this design must be random. The
classification of this design is divided into three types.
Design 4. Pre-test/ Post-test Control Group Design. This design requires two groups
in equal standing (one control group and one experimental group). Both groups will be
given a pre-test. During the experimental period, only the experimental group will
receive the treatment. After the experimental period, both groups will be given a
posttest. Then the researcher may now compare the result of the post-test of both
groups.
Group Pretest Treatment Posttest
Experimental O1 X O3
Control O2 O4
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment

Design 5. Posttest-Only Control Group Design. This design includes two groups in
equal standing (one control group and one experimental group). Both groups are not
given pretests but both groups are given a posttest after the exposure of the
experimental group to the intervention or treatment.

Group Treatment Posttest

Experimental X O1
Control O2
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment

Design 6. Solomon Four-Group Design. It makes use of four groups in equal standing
(two experimental groups and two control groups). The first two groups are tested
using the pretest-posttest method and the last two groups are tested using the posttest
only method. After experimental plan, the posttest results of four groups are compared.
Group Pretest Treatment Posttest
Experimental A O1 X O3
Control A O2 O4
Experimental B X O5
Control B O6
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment
• Quasi-Experimental Research Design. This design does not include the
use of randomization in assigning the participants of the study. This was used when
the setting of the study is impossible to involve the process of randomization. This
design divided into two.
Design 7. Matching only design. The researchers still match the subjects in the
experimental group and control group on some variables but cannot be assured that
they are equivalent to others.
Group Pretest Treatment Posttest
Experimental O1 X O3
Control O2 O4
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment

Design 8. Time-series design. This design is usually an expansion of the one-group

pretest-posttest design. If the group score essentially the same in the pretests and the
consistently improve in the posttests, the researcher may have more confidence in
claiming that the treatment causes the improvement than if only one pretest and on
posttest were given.

Group Pretest Treatment Posttest

Experimental O1, O2, O3, O4 X O5, O6, O7, O8
Legend: O = Observation; X = Treatment

Experimental Methods
• Blind Experiment. It is used to ensure the validity of the test. According to Bacli
(2019), it specifically combats two internal validity threats:
• Experimenter Bias – the experimenter expectation causes the study to be
biased.
• Participant Bias – The desire of the participants to become “good participants”
causes the study to be biased.
Single Blind Experiment – it is a method where either the participants or the
experimenters are blind to the manipulation being made.
Double Blind Experiment – a method where both the participants and experimenters
are blind to the manipulation being made. One of the researchers act as the
coordinator to the participants, but he/she cannot share the information to other
researchers.
Placebo Group – a group of participants being told that they are receiving a treatment,
when in fact, they are not. The result from this group will be compared to the real
experimental group. So, if the experimental group shows better result compared to the
placebo group, then the treatment works.
• ACTIVITY
Directions: Accomplish the following activities in your answer sheet.
A. Modified True or False. Write T if the statement is correct, if false, change the
underlined word/s to make the statement correct.
____1. The one-shot design includes only one group that is exposed to the treatment
and sometime after a posttest was given.
____2. Static group comparison design includes only one group (experimental group)
and done by giving pretest, treatment, and posttest.
____3. The true experimental research design involves the randomization process.
____4. A group in experimental research that does not receive treatment or
intervention is called the control group.
____5. A group of subjects being lied that they received treatment is called control
group.
____6. The static four group design requires four groups (two experimental groups
and two control groups) in equal standing.
____7. Single blind experiment happens when both the participants and
experimenters are not aware of the manipulation being made.
____8. Posttest only group design is a type of experimental research design
containing two groups (experimental group and control group) in equal standing and
eliminates the pretesting part.
____9. A group of subjects that receives treatment during the experimental plan is
called the experimental group.
____10. Experimental research is a scientific method that establishes the cause-and-
effect relationship between the variables.

• POSTTEST
Directions: Read and analyze the following statements. Choose the letter of the best
answer and write your answer in your notebook.
1. What design is an expansion of the one-group pretest-posttest design where the
researcher may have more confidence in claiming that the treatment causes the
improvement than if only one pretest and one posttest were given?
A. One-shot design
B. Matching only design
C. Posttest-only design
D. Time-series design
2. Which is TRUE about the experimental research?
A. It generalizes the big amount of data.
B. It is used when your goal is to not intervene with variables.
C. It makes a simple interpretation on the data gathered from the participants of the
study.
D. It allows the researcher to make causal inferences between independent variables
and a dependent variable.
3. Which statement best described true experimental research design?
A. It is usually conducted without control group.
B. It is used when randomization is impossible to do.
C. It does not need to have two or more groups of subjects.
D. It involves randomization process in selecting subjects of the study.
4. Which of the following topic needs to use an experimental research design to have
more accurate results?
A. Effectiveness of ECQ in lowering the number of Covid-19 cases
B. Effects of ICT integration to the class performance of the students
C. Influence of social media to the spelling ability of the students in Pasig
D. Comparison of students’ lifestyle before and during the Covid-19 pandemic
5. A group of researchers conducted a study entitled “Raising students’ class
performance through the use of self-learning modules”. They group the
studentrespondents into two (experimental group and control group) with equal
standing. Both groups were given a pretest. After the exposure of the experimental
group to the treatment, both groups were given a posttest. What type of experimental
research design was applied by the researchers?
A. Posttest-Only Research Design
B. Pre-Experimental Research Design
C. Quasi-Experimental Research Design
D. True Experimental Research Design