Jon is a school director interested in the benefits of community service for student self-esteem. He administers a self-esteem measure at the beginning of the school year and then assigns students to one of three types of community service activities. In one type of service, the students complete 5 hours of community service of their choice. In the second type, students conduct 5 hours of community service as a group painting and renovating a shelter. In the third type, each child works for 5 hours when they are available at the local soup kitchen. After the service is complete he again measures their self-esteem to see differences.
-Which of the following might be a causal-comparative research question Jon first posed prior to designing his study?
A) What types of community service do students say that they would like to complete?
B) Is 5 hours of community service enough for students to gain benefits in self-esteem?
C) Is there a relationship between self-esteem scores taken before and self-esteem scores taken after community service?
D) Are there differences in students' self-esteem after engagement in three types of community service activities?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This question is the most appropriate causal-comparative research question as it examines the differences in self-esteem after engagement in three different types of community service activities. A is not causal-comparative as it does not examine cause and effect. B is not appropriate as it assumes that 5 hours of community service will lead to benefits in self-esteem without examining the differences between the different types of service. C is not causal-comparative as it only examines the relationship between two variables rather than comparing different groups.

Jon Is a School Director Interested in the Benefits of Community