Causal comparative research attempts to determine the cause of differences between groups by comparing a grouping variable and dependent variable. It identifies groups based on the grouping variable, such as preschool attendance or a mother's employment, collects data on a dependent variable like social maturity or absenteeism, and compares the groups. However, it has weaknesses because the researcher has no control over the pre-existing groups and cannot rule out other factors influencing the dependent variable.

1. Causal_ comparative
It attempts to determine the cause or reason for existing difference in the behavior or
status of groups of individuals. The cause is a behavior or characteristics, believed to
influence some other behavior or characteristics, or are known as the grouping
variable. The change or difference in behavior or characteristics that occur as result that
is the effect _is known as independent behaviour.put simply causal_coparative
research attempt to establish cause effect relation among groups.
Examples:
How does preschool attendance affect social maturity at the end of the first grade? The
grouping variable is preschool attendance (i.e.; the variable can take one of the two
values____students attending preschool and student not attending).the dependent variable
or effect is social maturity at the end of the first grade. The research identifies the group
of first grade who attend the preschool and a group who did not, gathers data about their
social maturity, and then compares the two groups.
Example 2:
How does having a working mother affect a child’s school absenteeism? The grouping
variable is the employment status of mother(again with 2 possible values___the mother
work or mother does not work); the dependent variable is absenteeism, measured as
number of day absent. The researcher identifies the group of students who have working
mother and group whose mother don’t work, gather information about their absenteeism
and compares the groups.
Weakness of causal comparative
The cause under study has already occurred; the researcher has no control over it
Example:
Suppose a researcher wants to investigate the effect of heavy smoking or lung cancer and
design a study comparing the frequency of lung cancer diagnosis in 2 groups 1: log time
smokers and 2nd is non smokers. because the groups are pre existing,the researcher did
not control the condition under which the participant smoked or not smoke( the lack of
researcher control is why the variable is known as grouping variable ,rather than
independent variables).perhaps large number of the long time smoker lived in smoggy ,
urban environment, whereas only few non smokers were exposed to those conditions. in
that case , attempts to draw cause_effectcoclusions in the study would be tenuous and
tentative at best. Is it smoking that causes higher rates of lung cancer? Or it is living in a
smoggy, urban environment? Or is it some un known combination of smoking and
environment? A clear cause effect cannot be obtained. It produces limited cause effect
information.
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