Question

Describe the design of an experiment using blocking to determine which lecture method is most effective. Be sure to explain how you will randomly assign the treatments.

a. Randomly assign lectures to students without considering blocking
b. Use blocking to ensure homogeneity within groups; Explain randomization
c. Sequentially implement lecture methods; Ignore random assignment
d. Randomly select students for different lecture methods; Downplay blocking

Answer 1

To design an experiment using blocking to determine the most effective lecture method, students can be divided into homogeneous groups based on a relevant factor and then randomly assigned to different lecture methods. The correct option is b.

Step-by-step explanation:

To design an experiment using blocking to determine which lecture method is most effective and randomly assign treatments, the following steps can be taken:

1. Identify the lecture methods being compared as the treatments.
2. Divide the students into homogeneous groups based on a relevant factor, such as previous academic performance or learning style.
3. Assign each group to a lecture method randomly, ensuring that each treatment is represented within each group.

Random assignment eliminates the problem of lurking variables and increases the validity of the experiment. The correct option is b.