Outline for Session 9

Critically Appraising Quasi-Experiments

· Nonequivalent Comparison Group Designs

· Pilot Studies

· Time Series Designs

· Single System Designs

The objective of this week's class is to learn to critically appraise effectiveness studies ranging which we are far more likely to find reported in social work journals – that is, quasi-experimental designs, pilot studies, and time series designs including single subject designs. 

We will be referring to material from Rubin's Chapters 6 and 7, as well as Chapter 7 in the Greenhalgh text.  We'll talk about types of designs, threats to internal validity, threats to external validity, threats from chance, how well described the intervention is, and, again, effect size. Finally, we will start to apply our appraisal strategies to the McClatchie article on a camp-based intervention for childhood traumatic grief.

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