Question

Given the following research topic, answer the questions below: Are there differences in third grade reading scores between children who attended independent preschool, district provided preschool, or no outside preschool? a. what is the dependent variable(s)? b. What is the independent variable? Identify any levels of the variable. c. Why is this an example of ex post facto research and not correlational? d. Why is this an example of ex post facto research and not experimental? e. What extraneous variables might there be in this study? Identify and describe at least three. f. Select one of the potential extraneous variables and suggest one way to 'control' that variable.

Answer 1

(a)

Dependent variable: third grade reading score

(b)

Independent variable: preschool

Level of the variable:
    (i) Independent preschool

    (ii) District provided preschool

    (iii) no outside preschool

(c) This is an example of ex post facto research and not correlational because by correlational research we cannot prove that one variable causes a change in another. The objective of this research is to find out whether differences in third grade reading score between independent preschool, District provided preschool and no outside preschool

(d) This is an example of Ex-post facto design and not experimental because here the participants are not randomly assigned. This study examines how an independent variable, present prior to the study in the participants, affects the dependent variable.

(e)

Extraneous variables:

(i) Natural intelligence of each child will be different from one another

(ii) Coaching by parents in the house of each child will be different from one another

(iii) Teachers of the various classes will be different from one another

(f) Natural intelligence of each child will be different from one another: This can be controlled by carefully selecting children of almost same intelligence for the experimentation.