UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

The pretest–posttest control group design involves randomly assigning participants to at least two groups, administering a pretest to both, applying the treatment only to the experimental group and then giving a post-test to both groups. This structure allows the researcher to compare changes over time while controlling for initial differences between groups. Random assignment enhances internal validity by balancing extraneous variables across groups. Thus, the design described in the stem is known as the pretest–posttest control group design.

Option A:
One-shot case study design exposes a single group to a treatment and then administers a post-test without any pretest or control group. Because it lacks both random assignment and a comparison group, it provides very weak evidence about treatment effects. This design is quite different from the one in the stem, which explicitly mentions both pretests and control groups.

Option B:
Static group comparison design includes an experimental group that receives treatment and a non-equivalent control group that does not, with only post-test observations and no random assignment. Without pretests and randomisation, this design cannot control for initial group differences. Therefore, static group comparison does not match the detailed description in the question.

Option C:
Pretest–posttest control group design combines random assignment, pretesting and post-testing for both experimental and control groups. This arrangement helps isolate the effect of the treatment by comparing changes in the two groups. Since the stem outlines all these components, this option correctly names the design.

Option D:
Single-subject design focuses on repeated measures of a single participant or a small number of participants over time, often using AB or ABA patterns. It does not usually involve random assignment to separate experimental and control groups with group-based pretests and post-tests. Hence, single-subject design is not the appropriate label here.