Experimental research as a method for your thesis

A commonly used research method is experimental research. This means that you create your own setting in which you will examine the influence of one variable on another. You test hypotheses based on these conditions and variables. You do this in a controlled setting and according to a set protocol. What exactly is the meaning of experimental research? How do you conduct it properly? You can read about that below.

In experimental research, you create your own setting in which you measure how an independent variable influences a dependent variable. You do this in a setting where these variables can be manipulated and controlled. You conduct the study in exactly the same way for each participant in your sample, while keeping the test conditions the same. 

In experimental research, it is important that you can manipulate the independent variable and actually measure the dependent variable. 

You are investigating how the amount of sleep employees of company X get affects their productivity at work in the morning. Here, you want to test whether the independent variable (amount of sleep) affects the dependent variable (the extent to which employees of company X are productive). 

Your hypothesis reads, "The more sleep an employee of company X has, the higher the morning productivity is."

In experimental research, you use the results to draw conclusions about the hypotheses that have been established at the start of the study. You are going to use the data collected to reject or confirm them. Therefore, it is important that the results found are valid and reliable. 

Reliability is about ensuring that the measurement results are not due to random measurement errors. For example, it is important that you conduct the study in the same way with each participant. It can be best to follow a fixed methodology and pre-established research protocol. You also need to accurately determine how to manipulate the independent variable(s), and do so carefully.

Validity means that you measure what you want to measure. You can only do things like generalize the results to a larger group if your results are valid. To ensure this, you often also use control variables. This means you test whether variables other than the independent variable can affect the dependent variable, or change the way the independent and dependent variables interact. For example, age can be a control variable for a study looking at the impact of a person's sleep on their productivity at work.

If you are going to do experimental research, take the following steps:

1. First, formulate a research question. You do this using findings from previous literature. 

2. Determine the variables that are important to your research. The required ones are:

   • Independent variable: a variable that potentially affects the other variable. 

   • Dependent variable: a variable that is potentially affected by the other variable. 

   • Control variables: variables that can determine the extent to which the independent variable affects the dependent variable. 

3. Draw up hypotheses. In them, you state what relationship you expect to find between your variables. You do this based on previous literature on your topic. 

4. Design your research methodology. Decide how you will manipulate the independent variable and how you will measure the dependent variable. In other words, you are shaping your research design. This requires you to operationalize the variables and determine the level of measurement you will measure each of the variables at. 

5. Determine selection criteria for your sample and compile the sample. Establish criteria for people to be included in your sample. Also determine the minimum size of your sample. Then, compose your sample and divide the participants among the groups (the control group and the experimental group). Choose between (double) blind research (where you and/or the participants do not know which group they are in) or let the participants know which group they are in. Your choice of approach depends on the specifics of your study.

6. Conduct the research. Always do this according to a research protocol. This will prevent measurements from going wrong or conditions from varying between participants. 

7. Process and analyze the results. To do this, you often use statistical tools such as SPSS or Excel. Describe the results in the results chapter of your thesis. The results will later form the basis for your conclusion.

Now you know the meaning of experimental research. There are also many other research methods  to pick from. In our knowledge base, we will tell you more about various types of research, such as:

• quasi-experimental research;

• correlational research;

• literature reviews;

• surveys;

• interviews;

• ethnographic research;

• case study.