Exam 9: Qualitative Methods: Observing, Participating, and Listening

Intensive interviewing is often unstructured and researchers do not presume to know the range of answers that respondents might give. Instead, they tend to rely on ______ questions.

Imagine you are a researcher who is concerned with whether or not asking questions at the beginning of an interview could change participants' responses later on in the survey. As such, you would make the decision not to put your questions in a fixed order.

Ethnography is concerned with all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A researcher was interested in conducting a study on how individual's make meaning of their lived experiences. As such, this researcher would most likely engage in qualitative research methods.

The first concern of all participant observers is to decide what balance to strike between observing and participating and whether to reveal their role as researchers. According to your book, one way that complete observation versus participation and observation differs is that the latter involves ______.

A researcher would only have to break ______ if her respondent indicated that he intended to harm himself or others in the future.

Many times constant note taking during an intensive interview is not a good idea. Because of this, sometimes a tape recorder is necessary. However, sometimes a tape recorder could also impede respondents from answering honestly. Which of the following is most likely a situation where taping an interview would not be a good idea?

"Once the sergeant arrived, we walked around in groups for high visibility in the 1900 block, 'the hole' (worst apartment houses: absent landlords, repairs unattended, no background check for tenants). Planned to search some of the basements for drugs. Several officers commented that 'Linc' was seen hanging around the hole more frequently than usual-could indicate increased drug activity." This was taken from a study on community policing and is an example of what?

The ethical issue of qualitative research methods concerned with identifiable information is ______.

Most focus groups involve only four or five people.

Describe three main differences between qualitative and quantitative research methods and one similarity between them.

Define traditional ethnography and netnography. Then, list two main differences between these methods.

Focusing on life stories, people accounting for their lives, the way people interpret and evaluate their life experiences is related to the qualitative focus on ______.

Explain the concept of transparency. In a field research project, what types of information should the researchers provide to be transparent? Then indicate at least two reasons why a researcher's participant observer reports should be transparent. Finally, indicate one way in which field notes are important to researchers writing their final reports.

As a researcher engaging in participant observation, field notes should not include just what was observed or heard. Other necessary notes should also include how a researcher felt in a certain situation. For instance, imagine you are observing police officers while they are on duty and there is an incident in which you became scared. Jotting down that you felt frightened is important because it may help provide a foundation to understand or explain the likelihood of ______ to some salient features of the situation.

Many times the ethical issues of voluntary participation can be addressed if each person is carefully instructed that they can refuse or quit an interview at any time.

Intensive interviewing is a type of field research in which a researcher develops a sustained and intensive relationship with people while they go about their normal activities.

List three ways that the procedure of intensive interviewing differs from more standardized interviewing procedures.

Your book describes that intensive interviewing differs from more structured forms of questioning. Which of the following is NOT listed as a way that these two types of interviewing differ?

Perhaps a useful tool of writing down your own feelings while doing observations is related to which of the following guidelines when doing a field research project?