Deck 10: Interviewing and Focus Groups

Question 1

Which of the following statements most accurately describes the focus group method for data collection?

A) It involves data collection from people in a group during or after they interact with each other.
B) It involves talking to people brought together solely for the purpose of the research.
C) It involves interviewing individuals after they have participated in a group discussion.
D) It involves observing a group discussion without intervening.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Which of the following epistemological approaches is interviewing as a research method associated with?

A) Positivism
B) Constructivism
C) Both positivism and constructivism
D) Neither positivism nor constructivism

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What is the quintessential defining feature of the interviewing method?

A) It entails a face-to-face interaction of the researcher and the person researched.
B) It entails a one-to-one interaction between the researcher and a study participant.
C) It entails verbal interaction between the researcher and person researched.
D) It entails the researcher posing questions to those who are researched.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

At what stage in the research process could interviewing be deployed?

A) Development of the research question
B) Validation of data collected by other means
C) The main data collection method
D) All of these

Question 5

Are focus group interactions …:

A) typically initiated or stimulated by the researcher.
B) typically arise spontaneously while the researcher observes.
C) typically orchestrated so everyone talks.
D) typically closely structured by the researcher.

Question 6

The information from focus group is now often analysed using software packages. Which of those listed is NOT used for the analysis of textual data?

A) QSR NVivo
B) ELAN
C) Atlas.ti
D) CAQDAS

Question 7

There are ethical standards that must be applied to interviewing and focus group research. Which of the following statements is NOT fully consistent with those standards?

A) Participants should be informed that they can withdraw from the study at any point.
B) Some information from participants may be used without their informed consent.
C) The autonomy, privacy and dignity of participants must be protected.
D) Participants must not be harmed as a result of engaging in the research.

Question 8

Why should you refrain from telling your participants your research hypothesis before you collect their data?

A) Knowing it might make them less willing to participate
B) Knowing it might confuse them
C) Knowing it might bias the data they give you
D) Them knowing it is not necessary for the research

Question 9

What should 'cover stories' never be? Explanations given to participants for the purpose of the study that:

A) are non-specific.
B) are misrepresenting.
C) are vague.
D) are generalisations.

Question 10

What should you avoid doing if individuals you have approached refuse to be interviewed?

A) Encourage them to change their mind
B) Substitute other people for them
C) Proceed with a reduced sample size
D) Ensure all information on the refusers are removed from the data set

Question 11

What is the main feature of a 'partially structured interview'?

A) The analysis of it has to be qualitative
B) The precise questions posed and their order is not fixed
C) The topics covered vary across interviewees
D) The interviewer has less control

Question 12

Which of these questions is NOT double-barrelled?

A) Can you swim and do you like swimming?
B) Do you like diving or swimming?
C) Do you swim every week even in the winter?
D) Do you think it is good to swim and it encourages happiness?

Question 13

Which of those listed is not a golden rule to be followed when asking questions in a research interview?

A) Be thoroughly familiar with the interview schedule before you start
B) Use prompts only with those interviewees who are failing to give relevant information
C) Use non-directive probes to clarify answers
D) Ask all the questions that are scheduled for a participant

Question 14

Telephone, video or online interviewing does have drawbacks. Which of the following list is a possible drawback of such mediums for interviewing?

A) The interview cannot be run by an autonomous system
B) The interview cannot be recorded
C) The participant's identity cannot be authenticated
D) These mediums do not permit partially structured interviewing

Question 15

Who might be particularly difficult to interview?

A) Experts
B) Children
C) People who are ill
D) All of the above and many other sorts of people

Question 16

When should you be wary of using a focus group method?

A) When you have a short time span available for the study
B) When you are testing a hypothesis
C) When you are particularly interested in group dynamics
D) When you have complex recording equipment

Question 17

Does empirical research suggest:

A) interviewing is more cost-effective than focus groups.
B) focus groups and interviewing are roughly equivalent in cost.
C) focus groups are more cost-effective than interviewing.
D) cost-effectiveness comparisons are inappropriate.

Question 18

Which of these does popular guidance indicate is the number of people it is advisable to use in a focus group?

A) 10-12 if the participants are experts
B) 5-8 if the topic is non-controversial
C) 3-5 if the study is market research
D) 13-20 if the study is a replication

Question 19

What is the typical length of time taken for a focus group involving adults?

A) 30 minutes
B) 45 minutes
C) 60 minutes
D) 90 minutes

Question 20

Which of those listed is NOT an approach used in structuring data post-interview

A) Holistic
B) Network
C) Categorical
D) Framing