Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Refer to the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric under the Settings icon above for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

To prepare for this discussion, read the instructor guidance, and Sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 3.3, “Steps” in Section 3.4, 3.5, 4.3, and Chapter 5 of the Newman (2016) textbook.

In contrast to qualitative designs, which are all basically non-experimental and descriptive, quantitative research designs may be either experimental or non-experimental. Within the non-experimental category, descriptive and correlational research are sub-categories.

Using the Ashford University Library databases, look for a scholarly/peer-reviewed quantitative research study on the topic you selected in Week 1. In your initial post,

• Appraise the differences between experimental and non-experimental research.
• Differentiate between a correlational study and an experimental study.
• State the hypothesis being tested in the selected quantitative research study.
• Identify the major variables and categorize them as independent or dependent.
• Describe the methods and results of the study.
• Determine whether the study is descriptive, correlational, or experimental, and explain why it fits this classification.

Document your sources in APA style (Links to an external site.), with in-text citations and references listed at the end of the post. For additional guidance see the Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) and Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resources from the Ashford Writing Center.

Guided Response: Read several classmates’ posts and respond to at least two of them. Do you agree with your colleague’s assessment of the design classification of the study he or she selected? Why or why not? Check your own thread for replies and answer any questions from others about the research study you presented.