Advances in Quasi-experimental Methods

Although the primacy of the randomized experiment is often thought of as sacrosanct, in education research—and in music education research in particular—random assignment is often unachievable, unethical, or undesirable for one or more of many potential reasons. Methodologists have developed quasi-experimental research methods that attempt to achieve results that approximate the highly trustworthy results obtained from a randomized experiment. This chapter details two newer methods for quasi-experimental research that have become quite common in the broader field of education but have not yet become frequently employed within the field of music education research. These two methods are regression discontinuity designs and the use of propensity scores for the equating of nonequivalent groups.