Dr. Kenji wants to determine whether his new phonics program helps children's reading comprehension. He gives a fifth grade class the program and also studies a second grade class that does not go through the program. He finds that the fifth graders read with better comprehension. The confounding variable in this research design is:
A) The grade the students are in
B) The phonics program
C) The reading comprehension scores
D) Not giving one group the program

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The grade the students are in is a confounding variable because it affects reading comprehension independently of the phonics program, making it unclear if the program or the grade level is responsible for the difference in comprehension.

Dr Kenji Wants to Determine Whether His New Phonics Program