Deck 2: Formulating and Clarifying the Research Topic

Question 1

Without a clear idea of what you want to research it is difficult to research it.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Which of these is NOT an element of your capability to undertake a research project.

A) Your tutor's time
B) Your skills
C) Access to an organisation
D) Interest in the topic

Answer 2

Your tutor's time

Question 3

What is meant by "fresh insights" into a topic?

A) A completely new idea
B) Something which will never get out of date
C) Insights into a topic by "fresh eyes"
D) None of the above

Answer 3

None of the above

Question 4

A symmetry of potential outcomes means that the project ________.

A) Starts with a qualitative stage and ends with a qualitative stage
B) Starts with a quantitative stage and ends with a quantitative stage
C) Will be valuable whatever the outcome
D) Will be reliable whatever the outcome

Question 5

Which of these is a good way to generate a potential research topic?

A) Choose a subject where you achieved good grades
B) Copy a past project
C) Make sure you focus on one idea only
D) Choose what your friends are doing

Question 6

It is a good idea to generate a range of ideas and develop them before choosing one in particular.

Question 7

It is unacceptable to take a previous study and repeat some aspects.

Question 8

Scanning the news media can help generate a research topic because ________.

A) Newspapers report only important facts
B) Reports are likely to trigger ideas of current significance
C) Academic review articles can be found here
D) All of the above

Question 9

Looking at past project titles, searching relevant sources and engaging in discussion is associated with what?

A) Brainstorming
B) Creative thinking
C) Rational thinking
D) None of the above

Question 10

The Delphi Technique is ________.

A) A deep breathing and relaxation method to help you think clearly
B) A way to review literature
C) The name for examining your personal preferences
D) A systematic group question, answer and suggestion session

Question 11

Creative thinking is a technique for generating and refining research ideas.

Question 12

Once a good research topic has been chosen it should not be revisited or refined.

Question 13

Practicality should not be an attribute of a good research topic.

Question 14

Which of these is most likely to be a problem if your employer asks you to research an organisational problem for your project?

A) You may not have time
B) You will have too much information
C) You may not be interested in the problem
D) You will not pass your course

Question 15

"How does binge drinking at weekends affect employee performance?" This is ________.

A) A research question
B) A research objective
C) Both
D) None

Question 16

What is the difference between research questions and research objectives?

A) One of these is proposed by a supervisor
B) The wording of one is likely to be more specific than the other
C) The question is worded by the researcher, the objective is not
D) No difference, they are the same

Question 17

There is no difference between a research question, objective and hypothesis.

Question 18

Projects do go wrong. In one case a student left everything until the last minute. This could have been avoided by reasonable measures. Which ONE of the following would have been realistic and would have helped the most with this problem?

A) Setting a clear objective
B) Using a Gantt Chart
C) Asking for the deadline to be changed
D) Using SPSS
E) Being less ambitious

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a type of theory?

A) Grand theory
B) Middle-range theory
C) Small-range theory
D) Substantive theory

Question 20

Research objectives will start with one of the words: What, Why and How.

Question 21

"To understand the relationship between followers and leaders". What does this statement resemble?

A) A research question
B) A research objective
C) Both
D) None

Question 22

Which of these can be a problem of a descriptive research question?

A) The answers will be too basic
B) It is too broad
C) It is not related to theory
D) It is more precise than the objective

Question 23

It is generally accepted that research objectives require more rigorous thinking which derives from the use of more formal language.

Question 24

Theory is implicit in all our everyday thoughts and actions.

Question 25

What is the 'Goldilocks' test used for according to Clough and Nutbrown (2002)?

A) The extent to which the research questions 'fit' your project and resources
B) A way to determine the 'right' number of research questions
C) The difference between research questions and objectives
D) The refining of a research 'idea'

Question 26

Which of these is NOT theory?

A) References
B) Data
C) Hypotheses
D) All of these

Question 27

If you do not have well defined research questions it will be most difficult for you to ________.

A) Develop a questionnaire
B) Draw clear conclusions
C) Write your methodology
D) Find a research topic

Question 28

"Strong ________ delves into underlying processes so as to understand the systematic reasons for particular occurrence or non-occurrence"

A) Theory
B) Data
C) Method
D) Methodology

Question 29

Which of these best describes the activity of 'intelligence gathering'?

A) Reading academic journal articles
B) Undertaking covert research
C) Doing a literature review
D) Undertaking descriptive research

Question 30

Projects do go wrong. In one case a student was indecisive and collected anything, just in case it came in useful: Web sites, photocopies, brochures, the questionnaire even included irrelevant questions, just in case the information could be useful. Which ONE of the following would have been realistic and would have helped the most with this problem?

A) Regular progress reports to the supervisor
B) Using a Gantt Chart
C) Using SPSS
D) Setting a clear objective
E) Being less ambitious

Question 31

"What are the causes of workplace motivation?" This research question is ________.

A) Too sensitive
B) Unlikely to give new insights
C) Just right
D) Too difficult for a student project

Question 32

"Why do accounting standards fail to regulate climate change?" This research question is ________.

A) Just right
B) Too sensitive
C) Unlikely to give new insights
D) Too difficult for a student project

Question 33

Substantive theory ________.

A) Changes the way we think about the world
B) Is generally applicable
C) Is restricted to a particular set of circumstances
D) Covers the middle-ground

Question 34

What are you doing when you make your research question more specific?

A) Procrastinating
B) Operationalising
C) Theorising
D) Plagiarising

Question 35

Which of these is NOT a reason for writing a research proposal?

A) It organises your ideas
B) It makes your ideas clear to your supervisor
C) It gives an opportunity to have your ideas scrutinized
D) It is not a taught module

Question 36

The background section of your research proposal is where you explain your method.

Question 37

It is important to demonstrate your knowledge of relevant literature in the ________ section of your research proposal.

A) Research questions and objectives
B) Background
C) Title
D) Method

Question 38

Which of the following should you NOT include in the methods section of your research proposal?

A) Research design
B) Ethics
C) A copy of your questionnaire
D) Method of analysis

Question 39

Research objectives should be precisely written and lead to observable outcomes.

Question 40

Which of these can help you plan your research project?

A) A flip chart
B) A bar chart
C) A Gantt chart
D) A task chart

Question 41

It is a good idea to impress your proposal reader with a long list of references.

Question 42

Which of these is an item you would list in the 'resources' section of your research proposal?

A) Financial costs
B) Access to journal articles
C) Key dates
D) Research ethics

Question 43

What is "working up, narrowing down"?

A) Turning research objectives into questions
B) An increasingly detailed and focused description of the research idea
C) A way of mapping out a variety of different research ideas
D) None of the above

Question 44

What is wrong with descriptive research?

A) Nothing, but it is unlikely to provide you with the critical depth you need for your project by itself
B) Nothing, but it is likely to go out of date before you finish and submit your project
C) Everything, it will not lead to insightful conclusions
D) Everything, it should not be part of a student project

Question 45

What helps to agree timing, agree resource allocation and also draws boundaries?

A) The proposal
B) The questionnaire
C) The observation form
D) The final report

Question 46

All of these may appear in a research proposal, but which one will ALWAYS appear?

A) Marketing Objective
B) Business Objective
C) Research Objective
D) Creative Objective

Question 47

Why do we need 'schemata'?

A) To make sense of the complexity of the everyday world
B) To test the relationship between variables
C) So we can avoid using theory
D) To ground our observations in everyday reality

Question 48

Why is undertaking a preliminary study a good idea?

A) To gather data quickly
B) To impress your supervisor
C) To refine your research questions
D) To test your hypothesis

Question 49

"Reducing accidents in the construction industry" is an example of a research ________.

A) Question
B) Hypothesis
C) Objective
D) Idea