ERIC Number: EJ1133242
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 22
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0276-8739
EISSN: N/A
On Measuring and Reducing Selection Bias with a Quasi-Doubly Randomized Preference Trial
Joyce, Ted; Remler, Dahlia K.; Jaeger, David A.; Altindag, Onur; O'Connell, Stephen D.; Crockett, Sean
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, v36 n2 p438-459 Spr 2017
Randomized experiments provide unbiased estimates of treatment effects, but are costly and time consuming. We demonstrate how a randomized experiment can be leveraged to measure selection bias by conducting a subsequent observational study that is identical in every way except that subjects choose their treatment--a quasi-doubly randomized preference trial (quasi-DRPT). Researchers first strive to think of and measure all possible confounders and then determine how well these confounders as controls can reduce or eliminate selection bias. We use a quasi-DRPT to study the effect of class time on student performance in an undergraduate introductory microeconomics course at a large public university, illustrating its required design elements: experimental and choice arms conducted in the same setting with identical interventions and measurements, and all confounders measured prospectively to treatment assignment or choice. Quasi-DRPTs augment randomized experiments in real-world settings where participants choose their treatments.
Descriptors: Randomized Controlled Trials, Quasiexperimental Design, Selection Criteria, Selection Tools, Test Bias, Research Methodology, Sampling, Undergraduate Students, Time Factors (Learning), Microeconomics, Introductory Courses, Intervention, Control Groups, Experimental Groups, Participant Characteristics, Maximum Likelihood Statistics, Effect Size
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A