Causal Inference

Kameshwara, K. and Gorman, E. 2025. Forthcoming. Causal Inference. in: Thomas, M., Jules, T., Shields, R. and Schweisfurth, M. (ed.) The Bloomsbury Handbook of Method in Comparative and International Education Bloomsbury.

Chapter titleCausal Inference
AuthorsKameshwara, K. and Gorman, E.
EditorsThomas, M., Jules, T., Shields, R. and Schweisfurth, M.
Abstract

Any phenomenon in social sciences is characterized by a myriad of variables shaping the subject of study. Examining how variables change with respect to each other, detecting patterns of change or predicting them, constitutes valuable knowledge. However, for matters linked to policy, one of the key challenges would be to identify the factors that cause or drive the change in others. To unearth the potential causal link between different variables in the field of education or elsewhere, causal inference comes to rescue. Causal inference is not a particular method or a statistical tool but an experimental framework of research design that is useful in identifying causal relationship between variables of interest. This chapter takes you through the processes involved in arriving at causal inference through illustrations from the domain of education research.

KeywordsQuantitative methods
causality
educational outcomes
randomized control trials
experimental and quasi-experimental techniques
policy
grammar schools
teaching and learning
causal analysis
Book titleThe Bloomsbury Handbook of Method in Comparative and International Education
Year2025
PublisherBloomsbury
Publication dates
Published20 Feb 2025
ISBN9781350421257

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