Question

"In July 2013 we implemented a randomized controlled trial in five factory units in Bangalore operated by Shahi Exports Pvt. Ltd., India’s biggest garment export firm. The trial covered 2,703 workers who initially expressed interest in the program and involved the administering of the Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement (P.A.C.E.) training, a life skills course for female garment workers designed by Gap, Inc. P.A.C.E.............We measured the impacts of soft skills training on workplace outcomes such as retention, productivity, and salary, using the firm’s administrative data along with changes in knowledge, behaviors, and personality traits of workers. "

If you had to design an experiment for this study, what would be your independent variable, dependent variable, and control? Would this study be considered to be a field study?

Answer 1

Yes, this will be called as a field study, because an experiment is being conduted on the workers working in the firm.They are not being called in a laboratory where certain controls are exercised.

This study involved changing or manipulating the soft skills of the employees and it effects are seen on workplace outcomes like retention, productivity and salary.

Therefore, the indpendent varibales of the study are- training on soft skills, because it was manipulated by the researchers. The dependent variables is workplace outcomes measured trough retention, productivity and salary.

If I had to design an experiment, I would like to keep the same above variables as independent and dependent variables.

For controlling the effect of extraneous variables, I would prefer a matched group design where the two groups, one experimental and the other control, will be matched on their intelligence and self-efficacy skills. I would also like to keep a check on constancy of conditions, that is, the conditions in which experimnet is conducted remains the same so that its effects are controlled. I would also ensure that the experimental group is not exposed to any other soft skills enhancement programs.

The results, thus revealed will have external as well as internal validity.