Deck 9: Qualitative Designs: Using Words to Provide Evidence

Question 1

Why is the sample size in qualitative studies generally smaller than in quantitative research?

A) Qualitative studies use more accurate information collection methods than quantitative studies.
B) Qualitative research does not involve as many variables as quantitative research.
C) The sample size needed for a qualitative study depends on how quickly data saturation is reached.
D) The sample size needed for a qualitative study depends on the randomization strategy chosen by the researcher.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

A researcher is studying the lived experience of individuals on kidney transplant waiting lists. Which participants would join the study as a result of snowball sampling?

A) Patients the researcher met in a dialysis clinic
B) Patients randomly selected from the national kidney transplant waiting list
C) Patients who responded to an advertisement for participants that the researcher posted online
D) Patients who were referred to the researcher by one of the first participants in the study

Answer 2

D

Question 3

A researcher has interviewed 15 participants. During the last five interviews, the researcher has received confirmation of information gathered in the earlier interviews but has not gained any new information. Which conclusion by the researcher is most reasonable?

A) Data overload has occurred, and the last five interviews can be discarded.
B) Data saturation has been reached, and the researcher does not need to keep conducting interviews.
C) Data are becoming stale, and the researcher needs to find new questions to ask future interview candidates.
D) Data collection is still yielding important information and should continue until the researcher runs out of interview candidates.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A qualitative study investigating the lived experience of women younger than age of 25 who survived a liver transplant is an example of which type of research?

A) Historical
B) Phenomenological
C) Grounded theory
D) Ethnographic

Question 5

Which is not a source of data that a researcher can use when conducting historical qualitative research?

A) Interviews
B) Direct observation
C) Artifacts
D) All of these are correct.

Question 6

What is the relationship between quantitative research, qualitative research, data collection, and data analysis?

A) In both quantitative and qualitative research, data analysis takes place immediately after data collection.
B) In both quantitative and qualitative research, data analysis takes place simultaneously with data collection.
C) In qualitative research, data analysis takes place after data collection; in quantitative research, data collection and analysis are simultaneous.
D) In quantitative research, data analysis takes place after data collection; in qualitative research, data collection and analysis are simultaneous.

Question 7

What are the four essential elements for evaluation of qualitative research?

A) Validity, reliability, transferability, and timeliness
B) Credibility, trustworthiness, validity, and confirmability
C) Transferability, dependability, timeliness, and confirmability
D) Credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability

Question 8

A researcher finds a photograph in old newspaper records that confirms a statement made by a participant during an interview. Which method has the researcher used to establish credibility?

A) Referential adequacy
B) Persistent observation
C) Member checks
D) Data saturation

Question 9

Which method would a researcher use to investigate the nursing processes involved in teaching patients how to walk again following spinal cord injuries?

A) Ethnographic research
B) Phenomenological research
C) Historical research
D) Grounded theory research

Question 10

Which consideration related to data reliability would be especially important for a historical researcher using strategic sampling to gather data?

A) Accurate interpretation of historical artifacts
B) Detailed historical documentation that supports participants' remembered accounts
C) Extensive analysis of secondary sources about the time period
D) Restriction of the sample size based on participant age

Question 11

During an interview with an older adult participant, the researcher learns that the participant may be the victim of financial abuse by one of his adult children. Which of the following best describes the researcher's ethical obligation?

A) The researcher is bound by confidentiality rules and cannot reveal personally identifiable information about the participant under any circumstances.
B) The researcher has a responsibility to protect the participant's confidentiality but may confront the abuser with the participant's permission.
C) The researcher has a responsibility to report the suspected abuse to the appropriate authorities.
D) The researcher is bound by the relationship with the participant and may only report the suspected abuse if the participant agrees.

Question 12

A researcher is running errands and suddenly has an idea about a connection between the responses of two different participants who were interviewed earlier in the day. The researcher immediately records the thought on an electronic device. What technique related to data analysis is the researcher using?

A) Fieldwork
B) Memoing
C) Bracketing
D) Debriefing

Question 13

Because ethnographic research focuses on discovering the emic, or inside, perspective, it is essential for the researcher to dismiss his or her own etic, or outside, perspective from the analysis.

Question 14

In qualitative research, confirmability refers to rigorous efforts by the researcher to be objective and maintain an audit trail to document the research process.

Question 15

A researcher interested in the process of adjustment to prosthetic limb use would conduct phenomenological research.