What is experimental design?

Source of image: https://researchmethod.net/experimental-design/

Experimental design means planning a set of procedures to investigate a relationship between variables. To design a controlled experiment, you need a testable hypothesis. At least one independent variable that can be precisely manipulated and at least one dependent variable that can be precisely measured are needed. In science, descriptive research and experimental research are both types of quantitative research. Quantitative research refers to the process of analyzing data in its numeric form. So, experimental designs are mostly for quantitative research, with quantitative research referring to the process of analyzing data in its numeric form

So, what Is Experimental Research Design? Experimental research design is a framework of protocols and procedures created to conduct experimental research with a scientific approach using two sets of variables. Herein, the first set of variables acts as a constant, used to measure the differences of the second set. As they are used in modern research, the four major design types with relevance to user research are experimental, quasi-experimental, correlational, and single-subject. These research designs proceed from a level of high validity and generalizability to ones with lower validity and generalizability.

Therefore, experimental design is the process of carrying out research in an objective and controlled fashion so that precision is maximized, and specific conclusions can be drawn regarding a hypothesis statement. Generally, the purpose is to establish the effect that a factor or independent variable has on a dependent variable. It is a central feature of the scientific method. A simple example of an experimental design is a clinical trial, where research participants are placed into control and treatment groups in order to determine the degree to which intervention in the treatment group is effective. Here, experimental design refers to how participants are allocated to different groups in an experiment. Types of design include repeated measures, independent groups, and matched pairs designs. So, the experimental design is used to establish the effect an independent variable has on a dependent variable. An experimental design helps a researcher to objectively analyze the relationship between variables, thus increasing the accuracy of the result.

One needs to understand the concepts of experimental methods in the different forms of experimental designs. Experimental methods are research designs in which the researcher explicitly and intentionally induces exogenous variation in the intervention assignment to facilitate causal inference. Experimental methods typically include a directly randomized variation of programs or interventions. In General, in experimental designs, one needs to state the research question and explain why it is interesting. State the hypotheses to be tested. Briefly describe the methods (design, participants, materials, procedure, what is going to be manipulated [independent variables], what is going to be measured [dependent variables], and how the data will be analyzed.

Experimental Design Sheet

Advance experimental Sheet
ItemMeaning
Research titleWrite down your current title
Project name/numberWhat’s the name/number of your project that you’re working on?
Research QuestionWhat do you want to find out?
HypothesisWhat are you testing?
Explanation of hypothesisHow? Why? What do expect? Prediction!
Independent variableWhat is your range? How many times will you repeat the test?
Dependent VariableHow will you measure your dependent variable?
Dependent VariableHow will you keep them constant?
Risk assessmentHow can these risks be managed?
Experiment set upHow many experiments? Proposed treatments? Repetitions? Procedures? Which one first and why?
MaterialsWhat do you need to complete the experiment? Why?
PlanHow are you going to carry out your experiment safely? And how long will it take?
DiagramDraw your research design

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