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Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisHardDesign feature that permits a causal conclusion

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice question

A study found that schools which adopted uniforms saw improved attendance the following year. Each school had decided for itself whether to adopt uniforms. Which change to the study's design would most directly allow a conclusion that uniforms CAUSE better attendance?

  1. A. Randomly assigning schools to adopt uniforms or not, rather than letting each school decide.Correct
  2. B. Including many more schools in the study.
  3. C. Measuring attendance more precisely.
  4. D. Asking parents at each school whether they approve of uniforms.

Answer: A. Randomly assigning schools to adopt uniforms or not, rather than letting each school decide.

Schools that choose uniforms may differ in other ways — leadership, resources, community — that also improve attendance. Random assignment removes that self-selection, which is what a causal claim needs.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. Including many more schools in the study.
More self-selected schools give a more precise estimate of the same association, not a cause.
C. Measuring attendance more precisely.
Precise measurement doesn't fix the problem that the schools chose for themselves.
D. Asking parents at each school whether they approve of uniforms.
Parents' approval is another variable, not a design change that isolates the uniforms' effect.

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