Quasi-Experimental Design
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A quasi-experimental design is used when random grouping is not possible, substituting comparison groups, before-and-after measurement, and similar methods to approximate the logic of a true experiment. The real world rarely meets ideal experimental conditions, so the quasi-experiment is a second-best but workable choice that trades some internal validity for the ability to actually run the study.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Match what you cannot randomize: build a comparison group that is as similar as possible - Control the observables: adjust for the confounders you can actually see and name - Publish the limits: state plainly which causal claims the design cannot support
Anchor fast decisions
Because the treatment could not be assigned at random, selection differences threaten the inference, so the design substitutes statistical control, matched groups, and before-after baselines to weaken selection bias. The result approaches experimental logic without reaching it, which is why the conclusions carry stated limits rather than clean causal force.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quasi-experimentverified
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