True and quasi experimental designs – UGC NET Question

Statements A, B, D and E are correct comparisons of true and quasi-experimental designs, whereas C is false. True experiments rely on random assignment, while quasi-experiments use existing groups and often try to approximate equivalence through techniques like matching. Both types involve interventions, but quasi-experiments are often more feasible in real educational contexts where randomisation is difficult. A single-group pre-test–post-test design without a control group lacks the control and random assignment of true experiments, so C is incorrect.

Option A:
Option A omits E, ignoring the practical point that quasi-experimental designs are frequently used in educational settings because of feasibility constraints. Without acknowledging feasibility, the comparison remains incomplete.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it captures random assignment in true experiments, the presence of treatment in quasi-experiments, the use of matching and the practical feasibility advantage of quasi-experiments, while excluding C, which mislabels a weak design as “true experimental”.

Option C:
Option C wrongly includes C and omits B, thereby accepting an incorrect classification of the single-group design and ignoring the correct definition of quasi-experiments. This combination misrepresents basic design distinctions.

Option D:
Option D includes only B, D and E and leaves out A, so it fails to state explicitly that random assignment is the hallmark of true experiments. As a result, the explanation of true experimental features is incomplete.

Option E accepts C, which is false, and omits D, which correctly describes matching as a quasi-experimental strategy. Consequently, this option mixes errors with omissions and cannot be considered correct.