Fort Valley State University Research Design and Methods Discussion Questions

question 1

A researcher plans a study to test the effectiveness of the discussion method in an introductory research methods course at the college level. One instructor will use the discussion method in her class several times during the semester. Another instructor will teach the same content, but without using the discussion method. The researcher will collect the following data: student scores on mid-term and final exams and on a scale measuring attitudes toward instruction. Discuss at least three recommendations that you can provide to improve this experimental design

question 2

A psychology professor wants to test the effectiveness of providing students in his introductory experimental psychology class with an outline with his weekly lecture notes. He forms two groups within his class, each containing 24 students. The experimental group receives an outline of the professor’s weekly lectures, and the control group receives no outline. Grades at the end of the semester are compared between the two groups. On the basis of this description, discuss what flaw is most evident in the design of the experiment. Identify and design and discuss an alternative procedure that might eliminate the flaws.