方法对比

	比较解释性研究	因果比较研究
领域	研究设计	研究设计
方法族	Process / pipeline	Process / pipeline
起源年份	1843 (Mill); contemporary social-science formalisation 1971–1987	1964
提出者	John Stuart Mill (methods of agreement and difference, 1843); formalised in social science by Arend Lijphart and Charles Ragin	Fred N. Kerlinger
类型	Observational explanatory research design	Non-experimental quantitative research design
开创性文献	Ragin, C. C. (1987). The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. University of California Press. ISBN: 978-0520063167	Kerlinger, F. N. (1964). Foundations of Behavioral Research. Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
别名	comparative explanation, explanatory comparative design, cross-case explanatory research, comparative causal analysis	ex post facto research, causal-comparative design, retrospective causal study, CCR
相关	4	3
摘要	Comparative explanatory research is an observational design that systematically examines two or more groups, nations, organisations, or time points in order to explain why differences in outcomes occur. Rather than merely describing variation, it seeks causal or contributing mechanisms by holding some conditions constant while contrasting others — drawing on Mill's classical methods of agreement and difference.	Causal-comparative research is a non-experimental quantitative design in which the researcher compares two or more groups that already differ on an independent variable — one that was not manipulated — to investigate possible causes or consequences of that difference. Because group membership is pre-existing rather than randomly assigned, the design can suggest causal relationships but cannot establish them with the certainty of a true experiment. It is widely used in education, psychology, and social sciences when experimental manipulation is impractical or unethical.