Deck 6: Qualitative Research Methods

Question 1

Qualitative researchers emphasize:

A) the positivist approach
B) the objective indicators of human experience
C) the interpretive approach
D) the critical approach

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to Corbin and Strauss, grounded theories derive from:

A) actual incidents observed in the field
B) conceptualizations of behaviour
C) the theoretical preferences of the researcher
D) statistical analyses

Answer 2

A

Question 3

One distinction between qualitative and quantitative approaches is:

A) qualitative is usually better
B) qualitative research process is more cyclical while quantitative more linear
C) quantitative is usually better
D) triangulation requires both

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Husserl, the father of phenomenology, introduced two central ideas. These are:

A) subjectivity and objectivity
B) lived experience and hermeneutics
C) lifeworld and intersubjectivity
D) potentiality and groundedness

Question 5

The study by David Counts and Dorothy Ayer Counts on senior citizens who travel extensively in recreational vehicles is an example of a(n):

A) phenomenological study
B) feminist study
C) grounded theory study
D) ethnography

Question 6

Ethnography involves:

A) learning from people rather than studying people.
B) testing partial theory.
C) discerning causal relationships among variables.
D) statistical analysis using tests of significance.

Question 7

Goffman's studies of a mental institution, entitled Asylums, is characteristic of:

A) survey research
B) participant observation
C) statistical analysis
D) none of the above

Question 8

Grounded theory attempts to:

A) establish and test causal models
B) uncover and convey the true meaning of lived experiences
C) identify phenomenon that apply cross-culturally
D) discover the dominant processes in the social scene investigated

Question 9

The phenomenologist's concern is to:

A) establish and test causal models
B) uncover and convey the true meaning of lived experiences
C) identify phenomenon that apply cross-culturally
D) identify factors that provide for system balance

Question 10

Qualitative research is:

A) empirical
B) deterministic
C) general
D) holistic

Question 11

People who take part in a qualitative study are called:

A) informants
B) subjects
C) respondents
D) participants

Question 12

Bracketing refers to:

A) placing respondents in fixed categories
B) elaborating on the intersubjective
C) interviewing a subset of respondents
D) a cognitive process to set aside one's biases

Question 13

The ethnographic perspective attempts to:

A) understand human behavior in its cultural context
B) uncover and convey the true meaning of lived experiences
C) identify phenomenon that apply cross-culturally
D) discover the dominant processes in the social scene investigated

Question 14

Ethnography requires that a researcher set aside his/her

A) conscious ignorance
B) naïve realism
C) participatory intent
D) subjectivity

Question 15

Grounded theory is most identified with:

A) the positivist approach.
B) the critical approach.
C) Symbolic Interactionism.
D) feminism.

Question 16

Conclusions drawn from participant observational study:

A) should be grounded in appropriate theory
B) should be grounded in the data collected
C) should mirror those expected by the researcher at the beginning of the study
D) should run counter to popular theory

Question 17

A sampling technique used by qualitative researchers would be:

A) random
B) clustered
C) purposive
D) systematic

Question 18

Saturation occurs when:

A) respondents' descriptions become repetitive
B) there is oversampling of one group
C) an interview contains too many questions
D) a focus group sample contains too many similar people

Question 19

"What is the meaning of one's lived experience?" is a question posed by:

A) the grounded theory approach
B) the ethnographic approach
C) the positivist approach
D) the phenomenological approach

Question 20

Anthropologists, when working in the field, typically undertake:

A) survey research
B) quasi-experimental research
C) participant observation
D) all of the above

Question 21

Transferability refers to:

A) the fittingness of a study's findings to apply to other settings, contexts
B) empathizing with a study participant
C) X=Y or Y=X
D) the adequacy of the operationalization of a concept

Question 22

A background/history file contains:

A) the information compiled by the researcher on the study group prior to entering the field
B) the biographic information of the informal contact
C) information drawn from the master file and other sources
D) information concerning similar research already conducted

Question 23

According to grounded theory, in deciding which incidents or individuals to be observed, researchers should:

A) locate informal contacts
B) sample according to concepts
C) locate specific individuals of note
D) employ random observation techniques

Question 24

One challenge of participant observation is:

A) developing and maintaining good rapport
B) taking field notes
C) gaining entry
D) all of the above

Question 25

A major limitation of qualitative research is its inability to:

A) deal with natural settings
B) understand individual cases
C) deal with a participant's perceptions
D) be objective

Question 26

In comparison to the quantitative approaches, qualitative approaches emphasize:

A) validity, objectivity, reliability, and generalizability
B) intersubjectivity, reflexivity, punctuality, and optimism
C) credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability
D) authenticity, rigor, patience, systematic samples

Question 27

Two types of analysis used by ethnographers include:

A) theme analysis and subject analysis
B) scene analysis and taxonomic analysis
C) componential analysis and categorical analysis
D) theme analysis and domain analysis

Question 28

Gaining entry to the study group one wishes to observe involves:

A) getting the appropriate permission
B) a reciprocal process between the researcher and the study group
C) establishing an informal contact
D) all of the above

Question 29

Qualitative and quantitative methods should be seen as:

A) complementary
B) diametrically opposed
C) poor alternatives to positivist approaches
D) inconsistent with the feminist critique of society

Question 30

The general flaw with participant observation and other field studies is their:

A) cost
B) inability to manipulate conditions
C) inability to generalize
D) lengthy time frame for completion

Question 31

Analytic files, those derived from the master field file, constitute:

A) relationships explored in the study
B) the quantified data of the field observations
C) the researcher's original notes rewritten in more detail
D) key information concerning the individuals studied

Question 32

A major strength of qualitative research is its ability to:

A) test formal hypotheses
B) make extrapolations to the general population
C) exclude competing alternative explanations
D) study behavior in natural settings

Question 33

Participant observation was initially developed by:

A) classical anthropologists
B) psychologists
C) sociologists
D) natural scientists

Question 34

Probing refers to:

A) pressuring respondents
B) structured questioning
C) in-depth questioning
D) covert observation

Question 35

Participant observation studies are advantageous for the examination of social phenomena because:

A) they are modeled after the physical sciences
B) they encapsulate the subjective elements of social life
C) they are pre-interpretive and pre-selective in character
D) they rely on advanced statistical techniques

Question 36

The general advantage to participant observation and other field studies is their:

A) cost
B) increased validity of measures
C) interesting results
D) applicability to quantitative analysis

Question 37

A master field file is made up of:

A) a complete journal of field notes
B) archival sources (i.e. government documents)
C) the study population list
D) the analyzed results of the field research

Question 38

In-depth interviews, and qualitative studies in general, have an advantage over quantitative designs in that:

A) they are less likely to be rejected
B) they can access the "truth" of matters
C) they are less expensive
D) they take less time to complete

Question 39

In-depth interviews make use of:

A) standardized questions
B) structured questions
C) close-ended questions
D) open-ended questions