By Design

Richard J. Light is Professor in the Graduate School of Education and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Judith D. Singer is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University. John B. Willett is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Education, Harvard University.

• 1. Why Do Research On Higher Education? Many Questions, Many Options Our Philosophy of Research Design How This Book is Organized 2. What Are Your Questions? Why Are Research Questions So Important? Getting Specific Building on the Work of Others Correlation versus Causation The Wheel of Science 3. What Groups Do You Want to Study? Specifying the Target Population Where Should you Conduct the Study Selecting Your Sample More Than One Type of Respondent Nonresponse Bias 4. What Predictors Do You Want to Study? Types of Predictors The Important Role of Variation Other Reasons for Selecting Predictors The Integrity of Your Treatment Choosing Which Predictors to Study 5. Compared to What? Why Do You Need a Comparison Group? Randomized Control Groups: The Best Comparisons Requiring Informed Consent Volunteer Bias Comparison Groups without Random Assignment Retrospective Case-control Studies Design Effects Can Swamp Treatment Effects 6. What Are Your Outcomes? Different Kinds of Outcomes Will You Measure Status or Development Short-term versus Long-term Effects Are Your Measures Valid? 7. How Can You Improve Your Measures? What is Measurement Error? Reliability and Measurement Error Six Strategies for Improving Measurement Quality Looking at Measurement Quality 8. How Many People Should You Study? Why Is Sample Size So Important? What Size Effect Do You Want to Detect? What Type of Analysis Will You Use? Instruments Precision and Sample Size What If Students Drop Out? 9. Should You Try It out on a Small Scale? The Advantages of Pilot Studies Piloting Instruments Relational Studies Informal Small-scale Experiments Generalizing From a Small Study 10. Where Should You Go From Here? Getting Started Lessons From Our Seminar Decisions You Must Make Planning a Longer-term Research Program Reference Index