In the past few decades, we have seen a rapid proliferation in the use of quasi-experimental research designs in education research. This trend, stemming in part from the “credibility revolution” in the social sciences, particularly economics, is notable along with the increasing use of randomized controlled trials in the strive toward rigorous causal inference. The overarching purpose of this chapter is to explore and document the growth, applicability, promise, and limitations of quasi-experimental research designs in education research. We first provide an overview of widely used quasi-experimental research methods in this growing literature, with particular emphasis on articles from the top ranked education research journals, including those published by the American Educational Research Association. Next, we demonstrate the applicability and promise of these methods in enhancing our understanding of the causal effects of education policies and interventions using key examples and case studies culled from the extant literature across the pre-K–16 education spectrum. Finally, we explore the limitations of these methods and conclude with thoughts on how education researchers can adapt these innovative, interdisciplinary techniques to further our understanding of some of the most enduring questions in educational policy and practice.

中文翻译：

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在教育研究中使用准实验研究设计：成长、承诺和挑战

在过去的几十年里，我们看到准实验研究设计在教育研究中的使用迅速增加。这一趋势部分源于社会科学，尤其是经济学中的“可信度革命”，随着越来越多地使用随机对照试验来努力进行严格的因果推断，这一趋势值得注意。本章的首要目的是探索和记录教育研究中准实验研究设计的发展、适用性、前景和局限性。我们首先概述了这一不断增长的文献中广泛使用的准实验研究方法，特别强调了来自顶级教育研究期刊的文章，包括美国教育研究协会出版的那些文章。下一个，我们使用从 K-16 学前教育范围内的现有文献中挑选出来的关键示例和案例研究，证明了这些方法在增强我们对教育政策和干预措施的因果影响的理解方面的适用性和前景。最后，我们探讨了这些方法的局限性，并就教育研究人员如何采用这些创新的跨学科技术来进一步理解教育政策和实践中一些最持久的问题进行了思考。