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Pre-experimental designs represent the simplest form of research design. They are quantitative research designs seen as precursors to conducting true experiments.

There are two kinds of pre-experimental designs:

1. One-shot case study: In a one-shot case study, the experimental group receives the treatment (independent variable), followed by an observation or posttest (dependent variable) to measure the effects of the treatment. However, one downside of this design is that there are many variables that are not controlled for, which could affect the posttest results. This makes it hard to definitively say that the treatment alone caused the observed performance.

2. One-group pretest-posttest design: This design is similar to the one-shot case study, except it includes a pretest before the treatment is introduced. This allows the researcher to determine if any change has occurred, though it still does not rule out other possible explanations for the change that were not considered or incorporated into the study.

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Qualitative v.Quantitative Research -

Qualitative research methods include gathering and interpreting non-numerical data. For example:

Interviews

Focus groups

Documents

Personal accounts or papers

Cultural records

Observation

Quantitative research methods include compiling numerical data to test causal relationships among variables: For example:

Experiments

Questionnaires

Surveys

Database reports

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A quasi-experimental design is a research method used to explore cause-and-effect relationships without randomly assigning participants to groups. Instead, researchers often work with existing groups, like classrooms. These designs typically include pretests to measure conditions before a treatment and matching to pair similar participants in different groups. Quasi-experiments are useful in classroom research because they allow teachers to study the effects of interventions in real-world settings. However, they should be used with caution in action research, as their purpose is not to prove or disprove hypotheses. Instead, they focus on describing what is happening in a specific situation, helping researchers understand the specifics of that setting rather than making broad conclusions.

Pretest-Posttest Control Group Design:

One common quasi-experimental design that is useful in the classroom is the pretest-posttest control group design. The main difference between this design and the one-group pretest-posttest design is that it includes a control group that does not receive the treatment, making it possible to compare the effects between the groups.

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Mixed-Methods Research Design combines both quantitative and qualitative research designs and data.

There are three types of Mixed-Methods Research Designs:

1. Explanatory Mixed-Methods Design - Quantitative data are collected first, followed by the collection of qualitative data in order to help support, explain, or elaborate on the quantitative results. Explanatory Mixed-Methods Designs are the most common type used.

2. Exploratory Mixed-Methods Design - Qualitative data are collected first, followed by the collection of quantitative data in order to further explain any relationships discovered in the qualitative data.

3. Triangulation Mixed-Methods Design - Both quantitative and qualitative data are collected at about the same time and are given equal emphasis.

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The main responsibility of a researcher is to make sure the action research adheres to ethical standards, including ethical treatment of students, colleagues, and data. Most schools have a review process to make sure that research studies conducted protect the rights of any persons involved.

Research Participant Protection

Two organizations that review the proposed research studies in order to protect the participants in the study are:

1. Human Subjects Review Boards (HSRBs)

2. Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

These boards require researchers to share a summary of the proposed study, along with the methods that will be used to collect participants' data.

To appropriately address issues surrounding the ethical treatment of action research study participants, free online training provided by either the National Institutes of Health (NIH) should be completed at http://phrp.nihtraining.com or the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) at the University of Miami at https://www.citiprogram.org/).

Informed Consent Form

When conducting action research and collecting student data, researchers need to first obtain informed consent from the students' families to protect their privacy. The informed consent must include:

Research study description

Description of participation involvement

Participation is voluntary

Confidentiality and anonymity guarantee

The opportunity for participants to receive study findings

Designated signature and date loines

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Have you ever completed an Action Research Study? If so, in the comment section below, share the focus of your study, a brief overview of your action plan, and the outcome of your research.

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Action Research Designs Interactive Sorting Activity

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Action Research Designs Interactive Sorting Activity

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Action Research Designs Interactive Sorting Activity