As you learned about various types of counseling approaches, you may have wondered what makes one more effective than another. This type of question lends itself to quantitative research. Questions like, "What are the differences in scores on a depression inventory for individuals who participate in cognitive behavioral counseling versus those who participate in solution-focused counseling?" or "What student characteristics predict success in an online counseling degree program?" require some form of quantitative inquiry. However, the type of quantitative method used to explore these questions could vary widely from researcher to researcher. Each of the methods of quantitative inquiry has both strengths and weaknesses, and it is important to understand the elements of each approach. As you explore the Learning Resources this week, you will find that some designs are used more often than others in the counseling profession.

In this Application Assignment you review various types of quantitative designs and explore their utility for investigating counseling-related phenomena.

Select two types of quantitative research designs to compare.

Briefly describe each of the designs that you selected. Include the types of samples used to conduct these research methods and the process for selecting a sample.

Explain two similarities and two differences between the designs you selected.

Describe at least one strength and one limitation of each design.

Describe an insight or conclusion you can draw from the comparison.

Explain any ethical, legal, and socio-cultural considerations that may be relevant for the designs you selected.