Should researchers make causal inferences and recommendations for practice on the basis of nonexperimental studies?

Abstract

Recommendations for practice have become increasingly common in educational psychology articles in recent decades, according to a review by Brady et al. (2023). At the same time, the proportion of experimental studies has decreased. This led Brady et al. to warn against under-supported recommendations for practice. Researchers who read their article might get the impression that evidence from experimental studies is the only acceptable basis for practice recommendations. In the current commentary, I argue that both experimental and nonexperimental designs can inform us to some degree about cause-effect relationships, and that even studies that hardly inform us about causal effects can have practical implications. Thus, in order to enhance the transfer from research to practice, I recommend that educational researchers talk about practical implications in their articles regardless of the design and analysis they used. At the same time, researchers should clearly and transparently communicate the limitations and assumptions of their findings and how they affect the practical implications. Equipping educators, teachers, and policy makers with this information would enable them to make decisions in line with scientific evidence.