Project Activities
The primary product of this project is QualiCase, a dynamic decision-making tool offered to users through a web-interface, developed through an iterative process. Using this tool, researchers will move through a series of key decision points regarding aspects of study design and reporting. At each step they will have access to peer-reviewed resources to help guide and inform decisions. Each decision will highlight key factors researchers should consider in their final design. At the conclusion of the study design process, researchers will receive a bulleted outline of their proposal as it relates to the decisions they made.
Structured Abstract
Research design and methods
The development team will design a draft of Qualicase and then use an iterative development process to refine it based on a series of design reviews and “talk throughs” with experts in the field and novice single case researchers. The revised design will be piloted with master’s students to identify common errors and weaknesses in the design. After revising the tool based on these outcomes, the development team will again seek review from experts in the field and will develop the instructional tools necessary to provide training and support for the use of QualiCase.
User Testing: The team will conduct user testing as part of the iterative development process described above. Additionally, the team will conduct an evaluation of the impact of QualiCase on the quality of single case research proposals in a delayed intervention randomized control trial using multi-level modeling to control for nesting.
Data analytic strategy
Statistical comparisons will use multi-level modeling as a strategy for increasing the robustness of planned comparisons as well as accommodating nesting in the data (e.g., repeated data within students, students in different training programs).
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Project contributors
Products and publications
This project will result in three main products: an interactive web-based version of QualiCase; a static version of the underlying decision tree allowing a researcher to see all branches of the tool in one view; and the materials necessary to provide training and support to users of QualiCase. To disseminate both the QualiCase tool and the findings on its promise for improving single case design proposals, the development team will submit publications to journals that emphasize methodology to share experimental results and at least one manuscript structured as a tutorial on using QualiCase. The development team plans to submit workshop proposals to major conferences so they can provide hands-on training to communities of interest. The development team will also maintain a website to share the dynamic decision-making component of QualiCase, which they will advertise vis social media.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
