Experimental Research Design: Mr. Jayesh Patidar

EXPERIMENTAL
RESEARCH
DESIGN
MR. JAYESH PATIDAR
www.drjayeshpatidar.blogspot.com
INTRODUCTION…
 Experimental is most scientifically
sophisticated research method.
 It is defined as ‘observation under
controlled conditions’.
 Experimental research design are
concerned with examination of the effect of
independent variable on the dependent
variable, where the independent variable is
manipulated through treatment or
intervention(s), & the effect of those
interventions is observed on the dependant
variable.
EXPERIMENTAL
DESIGN
TRUE
CONCEPT…
 True experimental research designs
are those where researchers have
complete control over the extraneous
variables & can predict confidently
that the observed effect on the
dependable variable is only due to
the manipulation of the independent
variable.
ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTICS…
 A true experimental research design must

essentially consist of the following three
characteristics:
 Manipulation
 Control
 Randomization
MANIPULATION:
 Manipulation refers to conscious control
of the independent variable by the
researcher through treatment or
intervention(s) to observe its effect on
the dependent variable.
 In other words, it is a conscious act by
the researcher, where he or she varies
the independent variable & observes the
effect that manipulation has on the
dependant variable of interest.
COUNT…
 For example, a researcher is conducting a
study on efficacy of cholrhexidine
mouthwash on the prevention of ventilator-
associated pneumonia (VAP) among
patients admitted in ICUs.
 In this example, chlorhexidine mouthwash
is the dependent variable, which is
manipulated by the researcher, & is used as
an intervention for the experimental group,
while the control group is kept deprived of it
to observe its effect on the incidence of VAP.
CONTROL:
 Control is another essential element of
true experimental design.
 Control refers to use of control group &
controlling the effects of extraneous
variables on the dependent variable in
which researcher is interested.
 The subject in the control & experimental
groups are similar in number &
characteristics, but the subject in the
control group receive no experimental
treatment or any intervention at all.
COUNT…
 The experimental group receives the
planned treatment or intervention & a
comparison is made with the control group
to observe the effect of this treatment or
intervention.
 Generally in health care & nursing
research, it is not ethically feasible keep a
control group deprived of interventions;
however, existing conventional method of
interventions may be compared with
experimental interventions.
RANDOMIZATION:
 Randomization means that every subject has an equal
chance of being assigned to experimental or of study
subjects on a random basis.
 Through random assignment of subject under
experimental or control group, chances of systemic bias
is eliminated.
 Randomization is used in true experimental research
design to minimize the threat of internal validity of
the study & to eliminate the effect of extraneous
variables on dependent variables.
 Through randomization, on average the characteristics
of the subject in experimental & control groups are
similar, thus influence of extraneous variables on
dependant variable is eliminated by dispersing the
variability of the subject characteristics equally in both
the groups.
COUNT…
METHODS OF RANDOMIZATION:
 Random assignment of subject may done with simple
flip of a coin for each subject; if coin lands on its
‘head’, subjects are assigned to first group & with ‘tail’
subjects are assigned to control group.
 Another possible method is to write the names of the
subjects on slips of paper & put the slips into a bowl &
then draw lots. The first designated numbers of
subjects are placed in one group, & rest are assigned
under another group.
 Thirdly a random table may be used to facilitate the
randomization process. In this method, blind-folded
subjects choose a number from a table of number
horizontally (row) or vertically (columns), till a
requisite number is reached for both experimental &
control groups. Computer-assisted random sequences
also may be used for the random assignment of the
subjects
TYPES OF THRUE EXPERIEMNTAL DESIGN
True Experiential Design
Crossover
Post-test
only
Randomized
Pretest block
post-test
only
Solomon 4 Factorial
groups
POST-TEST-ONLY CONTROL DESIGN:
 Composed of two randomly assigned group, i.e.
experimental & control, but neither of which is
pretested before the implementation of treatment on
the experimental group.
 In addition, while treatment is implement on the
experimental group only, post-test observation is
carried out on both the group to assess the effect of
manipulation.
 This design can be helpful in situations where it is not
possible to pretest the subjects.
 For example, to study the effect of an educational
intervention related to urinary incontinence on the
subsequent help-seeking behavior of older adults.
COUNT…
Exp. group Treatment Post-test
Random
assignment
Control group Post-test

PRETEST-POST-TEST-ONLY DESIGN
 In this research designs, subjects are randomly
assigned to either the experimental pr the control
group.
 The effect of the dependent variable on both the
groups is seen before the treatment (pretest).
 Later, the treatment is carried out on experimental
group only, & after-treatment observation of
dependant variable is made on both the groups to
examine the effect of the manipulation of independent
variable on dependant variable.
 For example, such a design could be used for ‘an
experimental study to assess the effectiveness of
cognitive behavioral therapy interventions for
patients with breast cancer.’
COUNT…
Exp. Post-
pretest Treatment
group test
Random
assignment
Control Post-
pretest
group test
SOLOMON FOUR-GROUP DESIGN
 There are two experimental groups (experimental
group 1 & experimental group 2) & two control groups
(control group 1 & control group 2).
 Initially, the investigator randomly assigns subjects to
the four groups.
 Out of the four groups, only experimental group 1 &
control group1 receives the pretest, followed by the
treatment to the experimental group 1 &
experimental group 2.
 Finally, all the four groups receive post-test, where
the effects of the dependant variables of the study are
observed & comparison is made of the four groups to
assess the effect of independent variable
(experimental treatment) on the dependant variable.
COUNT…
 In this, experimental group 2 was observed
at one occasion, & that score should be
similar to average scores of those in
experimental & control groups.
 To estimate the amount of change in
experimental & control group 2, the average
test scores of experimental & control groups
1 are used as baseline
 The solomon four-group design is believed to
be most prestigious experimental research
design, because it minimizes the threat to
internal & external validity.
COUNT…
Exp. Group 1 pretest treatment Post-test
pretest Post-test
Control Group 1
Random
assignment
treatment Post-test
Exp. Group 2
Control Group 2 Post-test

FACTORIAL DESIGN
 In factorial design, researcher manipulates two or more
independent variables simultaneously to observe their effects
on the dependant variables.
 This design is useful when there are more than two
independent variables, called factors to be tested.
 For example, a researcher wants to observe the effect of two
different protocols of mouth care on prevention of VAP when
performed at different frequencies in a day.
 This design also facilitates the testing of several hypothesis
at a single time.
 Typical factorial design incorporates 2X2 or 2X3 factorial, but
it can be in any combination.
 The first number (α) refers to the independent variables or
the type of experimental treatments, & the second number (β)
refers to the level or frequency of the treatment.
COUNT…
Frequency Protocols of the mouth

of mouth care
care Chlorhexidine Saline (α2)
(α1)
4 hourly α1….β1 α2….β1
(β1)
(β2)
(β3)
RANDOMIZED BLOCK DESIGN
 Control of inherent differences between
experimental subjects & differences in
experimental conditions is one of the difficult
problems faced by researcher in biological
sciences.
 When there are a large number of
experimental comparison groups, the
randomized block design is used to bring
homogeneity among selected different groups.
 This is simple method to reduce the
variability among the treatment groups by a
more homogeneous combination of the
subjects through randomized block design.
COUNT…
 For example, a researcher wants to examine
the effects of three different
antihypertensive drugs on patients with
hypertension.
 In this example, to ensure the homogeneity
among the subjects under treatment,
researcher randomly places the subjects in
homogeneous groups (blocks) like patients
with primary hypertension, diabetic patients
with hypertension, & renal patients with
hypertension .
COUNT…
Blocks
Types of
antihypertensive Patients with Diabetic Renal patients
drugs primary patients with with
hypertension hyper tension hypertension
(I) (II) (III)
A A, I A, II A, III
B B, I B, II B, III
C C, I C, II C, III
CROSSOVER DESIGN
 In this design, subjects are exposed to more than one
treatment, where subjects are randomly assigned to
different orders of treatment.
 It is also known as ‘repeat measures design’.
 This design is more efficient in establishing the
highest possible similarity among subjects exposed to
different conditions, where groups compared obviously
have equal distribution of characteristics.
 Through crossover design is considered as an
extremely powerful research design, sometimes it is
not effective because when subjects are exposed to two
different conditions, their responses of the second
condition may be influenced by their experience in the
first condition.
COUNT…
 For example, when we are comparing the
effectiveness of the chlorhexidine mouth care
protocol on group I & saline mouth care protocol on
the subjects of group II.
 Later, the treatment is swapped, where group I
receives the saline mouth care & group II receives
chlorhexidine. In such studies, subjects serve as
their own control.
Groups Protocols of the mouth care
Group I Chlorhexidine (α1) Saline (α2)
Group II Saline (α2) Chlorhexidine (α1)

ADVANTAGES OF TRUE EXPERIMENTAL
DESIGN
 Experimental research designs are considered
the most powerful designs to establish the
causal relationship between independent &
dependant variables.
 Where the purpose of research is explanation,
causal relationship may be established among
the variables by experimentation, especially in
studies involving physical objects, where the
variables are more easily controlled than in
human studies.
 In this studies, the controlled environment in
which the study is conducted can yield a greater
degree of purity in observation.
COUNT…
 Conditions not found in a natural setting can be created
in an experimental setting, where the independent
variable is manipulated by investigator.
 In the experimental approach, we can often create
conditions in a short period of time that may take years
to occur naturally. For example, in genetic studies we
can breed strains in very small time, which would take a
long time in nature to occur.
 When the experiment is conducted in a laboratory,
experimental unit, or other specialized research setting,
it is removed from the pressure & problems of real-life
situations & the researcher can pursue his or her
studies in a more leisurely, careful, & concentrated way.
DISADVANTAGES OF TRUE EXPERIMENTAL
DESIGN
 Most of the times, the results of experimental research
designs cannot be replicated in studies conducted on
human beings due to ethical problems.
 For certain research problems, because of the danger to
physical & psychological health of the human subjects,
it is not possible to conduct experiments on human
beings.
 Many of the human variables neither have valid
measurable criteria nor instruments to measure them.
For example, patient welfare or level of wellness cannot
be measured on any scale or by any instrument. In
these situations, if a refined experimental design is
used, there may be a mismatch of research design &
the variable-measuring instruments.
COUNT…
 In experimental studies conducted in

natural settings like hospitals or
community, it is not possible to impose
control over extraneous variables.
 Another disadvantage of the experimental
research design is that it is very difficult to
get cooperation from the study participants,
because it may involve medical or surgical
treatment or intervention, which may make
the prospective subjects reluctant to
participate in research study.
QUASI –
EXPERIMENTAL
RESEARCH
DESIGN
INTRODUCTION…
 Quasi-experimental research design involves the
manipulation of independent variable to observe to
effect on dependant variable, but it lacks at least one of
the two characteristics of the true experimental design;
randomization or a control group.
 In other words, quasi-experimental designs have an
element of manipulation but lack at least one of the
other two properties that characterize true
experiments; randomization or a control group.
 Quasi-experimental designs are generally used to
establish the causality (effect of independent variable
on dependent variable) in situations where researchers
are not able to randomly assign the subjects to groups
or for various reasons no control group is available for
an experimental study.
MAIN CHARACTERISTICS…
 Manipulation of the independent variables to
observe the effects on the dependant
variables.
 Lack of at least one of the two other essential
characteristics of the true experiment, i.e.
random assignment of subject or a control
group.
 Quasi-independent variables are used
instead of true independent variables. Where
independent variable is not manipulates in
complete controller situations.
TYPES OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
 Nonrandomized control group design
 Time-series design
NONRANDOMIZED CONTROL GROUP DESIGN
 It is also known as the ‘nonequivalent control group
design’.
 This design is identical to the pretest-posttest control
group design, except there is no random assignment of
subjects in experimental & control groups.
 In this design, experimental & control groups are
selected without randomization, & dependent
variables are observed in experimental as well as
control groups before the intervention.
 Later, the experimental group receives treatment &
after that posttest observation of dependant variables
is carried out for both the groups to assess the effect of
treatment on experiment group.
COUNT...
Exp. group Pretest Treatment Post-test
Control group Pretest Post-test

COUNT…
 For example, this method was used to study ‘the effects of
integrated care on quality of work in nursing homes: a quasi-
experiment’.
 The purpose of this study was to examine the implementation of
integrated care in the nursing home sector, & its effect on the
quality of work of the caregivers.
 A nonequivalent pretest-posttest control group design was used
in this study.
 Data was collected by through a questionnaire.
 The result showed that the intervention appeared to be one
successful on the somatic wards.
 The caregivers of these wards were more successful in creating a
home-like environment for their residents.
 Regarding the effects of the intervention on the quality of work
factors, the result included an increase of social support by
supervision.
 The intervention on the psychosomatic wards was unsuccessful,
through the introduction of integrated care on the somatic wards
was fairly successful.
TIME-SERIES DESIGN
 This design is useful when the experimenter wants to
measure the effects of a treatment over a long period of
time.
 The experimenter would continue to administer the
treatment & measure the effects a number of times during
the course of the experiment.
 Generally it is a single-subject research, in which the
researcher carries out an experiment on an individual or
on a small number of individuals, by alternating between
administering & then withdrawing the treatment to
determine the effectiveness of the intervention.
Exp. O2 O3
group O1 O2 O3 Treatment O1
COUNT…
A researcher might assess pain levels of a
group of patients with low-back pain.
After 3 weeks of pain assessment, subjects
are taught special exercises to reduce that
pain. During the next 3 weeks, pain levels
would again be measured.
 Measuring a child’s school performance on
a weekly basis, & then introducing a new
teaching technique. Then again
measuring on a weekly basis.
ADVANTAGES OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
 Quasi-experimental designs are more frequently used
because they are more practical & feasible to conduct
research studies in nursing, where in the absence of a
large sample size, randomization &/ or availability of
control groups are not always possible.
 This design is more suitable for real-world natural
setting than true experimental research designs.
 It allows researchers to evaluate the impact of quasi-
independent variables under naturally occurring
conditions.
 It may be able to establishing casual relationship.
Wherein some of the hypotheses are practically
answered through this design only.
DISADVANTAGES OF QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL
DESIGN
 There is no control over extraneous

variables influencing the dependant
variables.
 The absence of a control group or lack of
control over the research setting makes
the results of this design less reliable &
weak for the establishment of casual
relationship between independent &
dependant variables.
EXPERIMENTAL
RESEARCH
DESIGN
PRE –
 This research design is considered very weak, because
the researcher has very little control over the
experiment
TYPES OF PRE-EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
DESIGN:
o One-shot case design
o One-group pretest-posttest design

ONE-SHOT CASE DESIGN
 In this research design, a single
experimental group is exposed to a
treatment & observations are made after
the implementation of that treatment.
 There is no random assignment of
subjects to the experimental group & no
control group at all.
Exp. group Treatment Post-test

ONE-GROUP PRETEST-POSTTEST DESIGN
 It is the simplest type of pre-experimental design,
where only the experimental group is selected as the
study subjects.
 A pretest observation of the dependant variables is
made before implementation of the treatment to the
selected group, the treatment is administered, &
finally a posttest observation of dependant variables is
carried out to assess the effect of treatment on the
group.
 Some researcher also argue this design as sub type of
quasi-experimental research design. However in
absence of both randomization & control group.
 This design ethically can not be placed under the
classification of quasi-experimental research design.
COUNT…
Exp. group Pretest Treatment Post-test
ADVANTAGES OF PRE-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
o Very simple & convenient to conduct these studies in
natural settings, especially in nursing.
o Most suitable design for the beginners in the field of
experimental research.
DISADVANTAGES OF PRE-EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN:
o Considered a very weak experimental design to establish
casual relationship between independent & dependant
variables, because it controls no threat to internal validity.
o It has very little control over the research.
o It has a higher threat to internal validity of research, &

may have a selection bias, which can be very serious
threats for in using this particular design.
Thank
You

Experimental Research Design: Mr. Jayesh Patidar

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EXPERIMENTAL

 A true experimental research design must

True Experiential Design

Control group Post-test

Exp. Group 1 pretest treatment Post-test

Control Group 2 Post-test

Frequency Protocols of the mouth

Group II Saline (α2) Chlorhexidine (α1)

 In experimental studies conducted in

Control group Pretest Post-test

 There is no control over extraneous

o One-group pretest-posttest design

Exp. group Treatment Post-test

o It has a higher threat to internal validity of research, &

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