Research Design Options for High School Students

Experiment: The researcher controls variables to establish cause and effect. You will have an independent variable, the variable altered to look for effect, and a dependent variable, the variable you are measuring. You will also have an experimental group, the group receiving the treatment, and the control group, the baseline. Define your variables to allow replication by using operational definition and remember to use random assignment and random sampling.
Correlation: The researcher identifies the relationship between two variables. If the two variables increase and decrease together, it is a positive correlation. If one variable increases and the other decreases, it is a negative correlation. The challenging part is to avoid the third variable problem, which is a problem when another factor influences both variables, such as the temperature and personal backgrounds.
Surveys: Surveying is one the most easy and fastest way to research a topic. Frame your questions precisely because how the question is worded can impact your answers (wording effect.)
Naturalistic observation: This research can be done simply by observing the environment around you. The advantage is that there is real world validity because you are observing people in their own setting.
Descriptive statistics: The researcher collects data and finds the shape of the data. You will measure the central tendency, such as the mean, median and mode.

For all the research design options above, remember to follow the ethical guidelines (IRB Approval) which states that:

Confidentiality: names must be kept secret
Informed Consent: participants must agree to be in your study
Debriefing: participants must know the purpose of the study (can be after the study is finished)
Deception must be warranted
No harm- mental and physical