In order to improve the English speaking and reasing skills of their students, Jack Box Elementary assigns students whose native language is Spanish to a bilingual program for 8 week. To test the effectiveness of this program, then also need a control condition, in which the children are exposed to 8 weeks of English-only instruction. Students are assigned randomly to one condition or the other. Should this variable "Intevention Type" be manipulated within-participants or between?
I'm learning this too...and I THINK its between. i THINK...
To determine whether the variable "Intervention Type" should be manipulated within-participants or between, we need to understand the characteristics of each type.
Within-participants manipulation:
- In this type of manipulation, each participant experiences both conditions (bilingual program and English-only instruction).
- The effectiveness of the intervention is evaluated by comparing the improvement within each participant across both conditions.
- It is highly beneficial when the primary goal is to minimize individual differences and isolate the impact of the intervention itself.
Between-participants manipulation:
- In this type of manipulation, participants are divided into two separate groups: one experiencing the bilingual program and the other experiencing the English-only instruction.
- The effectiveness of the intervention is evaluated by comparing the average performance or improvement between the two groups.
- It is useful when individual differences could potentially impact the results, and when the focus is on group-level differences rather than individual changes.
Considering the context of this study, where participants are assigned randomly to one condition or the other, it is more appropriate to manipulate the "Intervention Type" between-participants. This allows for a comparison of the average improvement in English speaking and reading skills between the group in the bilingual program and the group in the English-only instruction. It helps determine whether the intervention itself, rather than individual differences, is responsible for any observed differences in outcomes.