8

QUARTER 1 - LESSON 5

Prepared by:

DOLAND M. BIBA
Research Teacher
Pontevedra National High School
Content Standard
The learner demonstrates understanding of the Research Problem
Most Essential Learning Competency
Determine the characteristics of an experimental research

Weekly Home Learning Plan (WHLP)

Day & Time Learning Learning Learning Tasks Mode of
Area Competency Delivery

November Research 8 • Determine the  Read and understand Online - Send

27, 2020 characteristics of an the concepts about outputs via e-mail
Friday experimental experimental provided by the
8:30 – research research. teacher or any
10:30 other platform
 Answer Guide recommended by
Questions the school.

Modular - Have
the parent hand-
in the output to
the teacher in the
designated
returning area.
 EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH
Experimental Research – a research design wherein the cause and effect relationship of a treatment on
a variable is determined (Castillo, 2002). This can be further divided into true experimental design and
quasi-experimental design.
The objective of the true experimental design is to investigate possible cause-and-effect relationship
among variables under study. This is done by exposing one or more experimental groups to various treatment
groups receiving the treatment. The quasi-experimental design tries to approximates the conditions of the
true experimental design in a setting which does not allow control or manipulation of all relevant variables
(Andres, l998, p. 16)
a. Single Factor Experiments – experiments in which only a single factor varies while all others
are kept constant. The treatments consist solely of the different levels of the single variable factor. All other
factors are applied uniformly to all plots at a single prescribed level. Examples of a single-factor experiment
are:
Fertilizer trials where several rates of a single fertilizer are tested.
Insecticide trials where several insecticides are tested.
Plant-population trials where several plant densities are tested.
Groups of experimental design that is applicable to a single-factor experiment:
1. Complete Block Design – suited for experiments with a small number of treatments and is
characterized by blocks, each of which contains at least one complete set of treatments.
2. Incomplete Block Design – suited for experiments with a large number of treatments to be tested.
3. Completely Randomized Design (CRD) – is one where the treatments are assigned completely
at random so that each experimental unit has the same chance of receiving any one treatment. For
CRD, any difference among the experimental units receiving the same treatment is considered as
experimental error. Hence, the CRD is only appropriate for experiment with homogenous experimental
units, such as laboratory experiments, where the environmental effects are relatively easy to control.
For field experiments, where there is generally large variation among experimental plots, in such
environmental factors as soil, the CRD is rarely used.
Randomization and Layout
The step-by-step procedures for randomization and layout of a CRD are given here for a field
experiment with four treatments A, B, C, and D, each replicated five times.
Step 1. Determine the total number of experimental plots (n) as the product of the number of treatments
(t) and the number of replications (r); that is n =(r)(t).
Example, n = (5)(4) = 20.
Step 2. Assign a plot number to each experimental plot in any convenient manner; for example,
consecutively from 1 to n. For example, the plot numbers 1,…..,20 are assigned to the 20 experimental plots
as shown in the figure below.

1 2 3 4
B A D B
5 6 7 8
D C A B Figure 1 Sample Layout of a completely randomized design with four
9 10 11 12 treatments (A, B,C,D) each replicated five times.

C D D C
13 14 15 16
B C A C
Step 3. Assign the treatments to the experimental plots by any of the
17 18 19 20 following randomization schemes.

A B A D
 B. Randomized Complete Block Design (RCB) is one of the most widely used experimental
designs in agricultural research. The design is especially suited for field experiments where the number of
treatments is not large and the distinguishing feature of the RCB design is the presence of blocks of equal
size, each of which contains all the treatments.
Blocking Technique. The primary purpose of blocking is to reduced experimental error by
eliminating the contribution of known sources of variation among experimental units. This is done by
grouping the experimental units into blocks such as variability within each block is minimized and variability
among blocks is maximized. Because variation within the block becomes part of the experimental error,
blocking is most effective when the experimental area has a predictable pattern of variability. With a
predictable pattern, plot shape and block orientation can be chosen so that much of the variation is accounted
for by the difference among blocks and experimental plots within the same block are kept uniform as possible.
There are two important decisions that have to be made in arriving at an appropriate and effective
blocking technique:
The selection of the source of variability to be used as the basis for blocking.
The selection of block shape and orientation.

An ideal source of variation to use as the basis for blocking is one that is large and highly predictable.
Example:
Soil heterogeneity, in a fertilizer or variety trial where yield data is the primary character of interest.
Direction of insect migration, in an insecticide trial where insect infestation is the primary character
of interest.
Slope of the field, in a study of plant reaction to water stress.

Whenever the blocking is used, the identity of the blocks and the purpose for their use must be
consistent throughout the experiment. That is, whenever a source of variation exists that is beyond the
control of the researcher, he should assure that such variation occurs among blocks rather than within
blocks.
b. Two-Factor Experiments
Biological organisms are simultaneously exposed to many growth factors during their lifetime.
Because an organism’s response to any single factor may vary with the level of the other factors, single-
factor experiments are often criticized for their narrowness. Indeed, the result of a single-factor experiment
is, strictly speaking applicable only to the particular level in which the other factors were maintained in the
trial.
Thus, when response to the factor of interest is expected to differ under different levels of the other
factors, avoid single-factor experiments and considered instead the use of a factorial experiment designed
to handle simultaneously two or more variables.
a. Factorial Experiment – an experiment consist of all possible combinations of the selected levels
in two or more factors. Its treatments consist of the following four combinations of the two levels in each of
the two factors.

Guide Questions:
1. Differentiate true experimental design and quasi-experimental design.
2. Differentiate Single Factor Experiments and Two-Factor Experiments.
3. Give 3 examples of single-factor experiment.