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[Phys-L] Re: Should Randomized Control Trials Be the Gold Standard of Educational Research ?



This note lifted from the Medical Research Library website
at Brooklyn sets out the bones of Randomized Controls:

I am surprised that anyone here would oppose this methodology,
which is to my mind at least, a minimal level of ascent to a
scientific basis for comparison of methods and appears to be the
basis for upholding interactive participation as the only tutorial
method that gives superior results consistently, over chalk n talk
[also known as Direct Instruction]

Brian Whatcott

########################################
A randomized controlled study is one in which:
* There are two groups, one treatment group and one control group.
* The treatment group receives the treatment under investigation,
* and the control group receives either no treatment or some
* standard default treatment.
* Patients are randomly assigned to all groups.
Assigning patients at random reduces the risk of bias and increases the
probability that differences between the groups can be attributed to
the treatment.

Having a control group allows us to compare the treatment with alternative
choices. For instance, the statement that a particular medication cures
40% of cases tells us very little unless we also know how many cases get
better on their own! (Or with a different treatment).

With certain research questions, randomized controlled studies cannot
be done for ethical reasons. For instance, it would be unethical to attempt
to measure the effect of smoking on health by asking one group to smoke
two packs a day and another group to abstain, since the smoking group
would be subject to unnecessary harm.

Randomized controlled trials are the standard method of answering
questions about the effectiveness of different therapies. If you have
a therapy question, first look for a randomized controlled trial, and
only go on to look for other types of studies if you don't find one.

########################################


At 10:28 PM 4/15/2005, Richard Hake, you wrote:

///

MOST INTERACTIVE ENGAGEMENT AND GUIDED INQUIRY
METHODS HAVE NOT BEEN
TESTED IN RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIALS (RCT'S),
THE "GOLD STANDARD" OF
THE U.S. DEPT. OF EDUCATION (USDE)


Richard Hake, Emeritus Professor of Physics, Indiana University

///


Brian Whatcott Altus OK Eureka!
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