CHAPTER 10 - NONEXPERIMENTAL AND QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STRATEGIES: NONEQUIVALENT GROUP, PRE-POST, AND DEVELOPMENTAL DESIGNS

1. Students should be able to distinguish between the experimental, nonexperimental, and quasi- experimental research strategies.

2. Students should be able to identify the two basic categories of nonexperimental and quasi- experimental designs (i.e., nonequivalent group designs and pre-post designs) and describe each.

3. Students should be able to identify the three types of nonequivalent group designs (i.e., differential research, posttest only nonequivalent control group design, and the pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design) and describe each. In addition, students should be able to identify of these designs which are nonexperimental and which are quasi-experimental designs.

4. Students should understand how assignment bias threatens the internal validity of nonequivalent group designs.

5. Students should understand how adding a pretest to the posttest only nonequivalent control group design helps minimize time-related threats to internal validity, but does not reduce the possibility of differential effects.

6. Students should be able to identify the four types of pre-post designs (i.e., one-group pretest-posttest design, time-series design, interrupted time-series design, and equivalent time-samples design) and describe each. In addition, students should be able to identify of these designs which are non- experimental and which are quasi-experimental designs.

7. Students should understand how factors related to the passage of time threaten the internal validity of pre-post designs.

8. Students should be able to identify and describe the different types of developmental designs and understand each design’s strengths and weaknesses.