Discuss whether and how you could study the effects of parental divorce on students’ school achievement using an experiment, survey, observation, and interviews. If you could not use a particular method, explain why not. If you could use it, briefly

Question

explain the process you would follow.

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

1. Experiment—cannot be used, because the independent variable, parents’ divorce, cannot be manipulated.
2. Survey—ask a sample of parents and/or students a variety of questions, mostly closed-ended, about the family (including marital status) and school achievement (grades, test scores). Compare academic achievement of students from divorced and intact families.
3. Observation—not practical, as you cannot observe whether parents are divorced or observe grades.
4. Interviews—ask questions similar to those in a survey, but conduct the research face-to-face with open-ended questions.