Which term describes a research study in the counseling field?

Which term describes a research study in the counseling field?

• A. Case study
• B. Meta-analysis
• C. Qualitative interview
• D. Counseling experiment

Answer: (D)

In counseling research, the term that describes a study designed to test the effects of an intervention is an experiment. An experimental study in this field typically involves presenting a counseling technique or program to participants and comparing outcomes to a control or comparison group, with deliberate manipulation of the independent variable and systematic measurement of the dependent variable. This setup aims to determine whether observed changes can be attributed to the intervention itself, rather than to other factors. This is the best fit because it signals a study intended to establish cause-and-effect relationships within counseling, which is what an experiment is designed to do. By contrast, a case study focuses on an in-depth examination of one or a few cases without formal testing of causality; a qualitative interview is a data-collection method used to explore participants’ perspectives rather than to test interventions; and a meta-analysis aggregates results across many studies rather than describing or conducting a single study.

In counseling research, the term that describes a study designed to test the effects of an intervention is an experiment. An experimental study in this field typically involves presenting a counseling technique or program to participants and comparing outcomes to a control or comparison group, with deliberate manipulation of the independent variable and systematic measurement of the dependent variable. This setup aims to determine whether observed changes can be attributed to the intervention itself, rather than to other factors.

This is the best fit because it signals a study intended to establish cause-and-effect relationships within counseling, which is what an experiment is designed to do. By contrast, a case study focuses on an in-depth examination of one or a few cases without formal testing of causality; a qualitative interview is a data-collection method used to explore participants’ perspectives rather than to test interventions; and a meta-analysis aggregates results across many studies rather than describing or conducting a single study.