What is quasi-experimental research design?

“Quasi-experimental research is similar to experimental research in that there is manipulation of an independent variable. It differs from experimental research because either there is no control group, no random selection, no random assignment, and/or no active manipulation.”

What is a quasi-experiment simple definition?

A quasi-experiment is a type of research design that attempts to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. The main difference between this and a true experiment is that the groups are not randomly assigned.

What is an example of quasi-experimental?

In a quasi-experiment, the independent variable can not be randomly assigned because it is an innate difference of the participants themselves. A memory task with a group of clinically depressed participants compared to a control group of non-depressed participants is a common example in psychology.

What are the types of quasi-experimental design?

Many types of quasi-experimental designs exist. Here we explain three of the most common types: nonequivalent groups design, regression discontinuity, and natural experiments.

Why would you use a quasi-experimental design?

Quasi-experimental studies are less resource intensive than RCTs, test real world effectiveness, and can support a hypothesis that an intervention is causally associated with an outcome. These studies are subject to biases that can be limited by carefully planning the design and analysis.

What type of study is a quasi-experimental study?

A quasi-experiment is an empirical interventional study used to estimate the causal impact of an intervention on target population without random assignment.

What is the purpose of quasi-experimental research?

Quasi experiments are studies that aim to evaluate interventions but that do not use randomization. Like randomized trials, quasi experiments aim to demonstrate causality between an intervention and an outcome.