CCC Research Methods & Program Evaluation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which research design is most appropriate when a counselor wants to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between a therapeutic intervention and client outcomes?
- Correlational study
- Case study
- Randomized controlled trial (Correct answer)
- Naturalistic observation
Correct answer: Randomized controlled trial
Randomized controlled trials use random assignment to experimental and control groups, which controls for confounding variables and allows causal inferences to be drawn.
Question 2: A counselor reviewing literature finds that most studies on a treatment show small but consistent positive effects. The most appropriate way to summarize this body of evidence is through a:
- Single case study
- Meta-analysis (Correct answer)
- Pilot study
- Focus group
Correct answer: Meta-analysis
A meta-analysis statistically combines results from multiple studies to estimate an overall effect size and identify consistent patterns across the literature.
Question 3: In research ethics, the principle of autonomy is best protected by ensuring participants receive:
- Monetary compensation
- Informed consent (Correct answer)
- Anonymity from the researcher
- Guaranteed positive outcomes
Correct answer: Informed consent
Informed consent protects autonomy by ensuring participants voluntarily agree to participate with full understanding of the study's purpose, risks, and their right to withdraw.
Question 4: A counseling researcher collects data by conducting in-depth interviews with 10 clients about their lived experience of grief. This approach is best described as:
- Quantitative survey research
- Experimental design
- Qualitative phenomenological research (Correct answer)
- Quasi-experimental research
Correct answer: Qualitative phenomenological research
Phenomenological qualitative research explores the subjective lived experiences of participants through methods such as in-depth interviews, focusing on meaning rather than measurement.
Question 5: Which statistical measure indicates the strength and direction of the linear relationship between two continuous variables?
- Chi-square statistic
- Pearson correlation coefficient (Correct answer)
- t-test
- Analysis of variance (ANOVA)
Correct answer: Pearson correlation coefficient
The Pearson correlation coefficient (r) ranges from -1 to +1 and quantifies both the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two continuous variables.
Question 6: When a research finding is statistically significant (p < .05), this primarily means that:
- The effect is large enough to be clinically meaningful
- The result is unlikely to be due to chance alone (Correct answer)
- The study was free of all bias
- The intervention will be effective for all clients
Correct answer: The result is unlikely to be due to chance alone
Statistical significance (p < .05) indicates the probability of obtaining the observed result by chance is less than 5%, but does not confirm clinical significance or generalizability.
Question 7: A counseling agency wants to assess whether its new anxiety program is achieving its intended goals. The most appropriate evaluation approach is:
- Needs assessment
- Formative evaluation
- Summative evaluation (Correct answer)
- Meta-analysis
Correct answer: Summative evaluation
Summative evaluation measures whether a program has achieved its goals and outcomes at the end of the program, making it appropriate for assessing overall program effectiveness.
CCC Research Methods & Program Evaluation 1
Which research design is most appropriate when a counselor wants to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between a therapeutic intervention and client outcomes?