Mary Lou must complete a research project to get her associate degree. She has just one year left to finish her degree and must spend as little time and money as possible on her research. She plans to compare stress levels of 8th graders to stress levels of 9th graders. What research design should she choose in order to get finished fairly quickly and minimize her expenses?
A. Longitudinal
B. Cross-sectional
C. Microgenetic
D. Cross-sequential
My choice was B.
To determine the most appropriate research design for Mary Lou's research project, we need to understand the different options available. Below is an explanation of each research design and how they can be applied to her study.
A. Longitudinal: This research design involves studying the same group of participants over an extended period of time. In Mary Lou's case, she would need to follow the same group of 8th graders and 9th graders over a certain duration, collecting data on their stress levels at different time points. However, given her limited time frame of one year, a longitudinal design might not be the most practical choice.
B. Cross-sectional: This research design involves collecting data from different groups of participants at a single point in time. Mary Lou's study can benefit from a cross-sectional design as she can gather data on stress levels of both 8th graders and 9th graders simultaneously. This option allows her to complete her research quickly as she doesn't have to follow the same individuals over time.
C. Microgenetic: This research design focuses on studying participants intensively over a short period to observe their development or change. It might not be appropriate for Mary Lou's study as she is comparing stress levels between two different groups rather than examining individual growth or change.
D. Cross-sequential: This research design combines elements of both longitudinal and cross-sectional designs. It involves studying multiple cohorts of participants over time while also collecting data at a single point in time. This design increases the reliability of the findings by accounting for cohort effects. However, it may require a longer time frame and potentially more resources than Mary Lou has available.
Given Mary Lou's need to complete her research within a year and minimize her expenses, the most suitable research design for her would be B. Cross-sectional. This design allows her to collect data on stress levels of 8th graders and 9th graders at a single point in time, completing her study quickly and efficiently.