Experimental, Quasi-Experimental, and Non-Experimental Research Designs

Research Designs
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There are various forms of research study designs, and each of them is used to investigate specific parameters. Researchers must understand the differences between experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental research designs to properly select the appropriate design for the topic.
First, an experimental research design has the following elements: 1) Prospective analysis; 2) Manipulation of intervention; 3) Presence of control groups; 4) Investigation of a causal relationship; 5) Randomization and generalizability (Thompson & Panacek, 2006). An example of this is the study by Sollami et al. (2017), which investigated the causal relationship between the use of pet therapy to enhance the quality of life (QoL) of the elderly. The experiment is prospective, where it aims to fill the knowledge gap and used the elderly population residing in a nursing home. They were randomized into control and intervention groups. Those assigned in the former were observed while doing their normal daily activities while the intervention group received animal-assisted interventions (AAI) twice weekly.
Second, a quasi-experimental design is similar to an experimental approach but without randomization. This can precede an experimental design, and it can be used to prove the effectiveness of diagnostic and treatment approaches (Thompson & Panacek, 2006). An example of this is the study by Pålsson et al. (2017), which investigated the effectiveness of peer learning activities for nu...