Research Methodology

    Structured interviewing
    Which of the following is not advised when planning the question order of a structured interview?
    It is important to stick to the order of the questions as determined in the interview schedule, for a number of reasons. One fairly obvious reason is that if we skip a question, for whatever reason, we may forget to come back to it. Another concerns the logical progression of the question order, whereby a later question may predispose a respondent to answering an earlier question somewhat differently than might have been the case spontaneously. This particularly applies to questions of a more sensitive nature, which should be left till later in the interview, or those that strike the respondent as being more meaningful to them, more salient, which really should come early in the interview. From both the respondent’s point of view and your own, it is more appropriate to group questions into categories than to leave them “scattered all over the place”. The respondent will get a sense of order and intelligence and you are more likely to be able to understand the face validity of your own questions, apart from making coding and data processing more straightforward. Far from expecting variation in the question order, you are sternly cautioned against it.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 208-210
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Structured observation
    One of the criticisms often levelled at structured observation is that:
    Structured observation does impose a framework onto the social setting being observed. The problem is that the framework may be inappropriate or even irrelevant. Because of its focus on behaviour, it cannot easily study intentions of human actions, in other words, the meanings behind behaviour. Another problem is that lots of fragmentary data is gathered, which can be hard to integrate into a coherent whole. Interpretivist sociologists are often reluctant to use this method because the focus on observable behaviour often means neglecting to consider the subjective meanings that people give to their actions. This may suggest that observation should usually be accompanied with another data-gathering method, whether the research strategy is quantitative or qualitative.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 279
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS)
    The default chosen by SPSS depends on the:
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Computer-assisted qualitative data analysis: using NVivo
    What does the acronym “CAQDAS” stand for?
    CAQDAS is one of the most significant developments in qualitative research over the last twenty years. The label refers to a group of software packages such as NVivo and ATLAS/ti, which are used for qualitative data analysis. These computer programmes were developed for individual use on a PC or laptop computer and were originally not much more than sophisticated word-processors but have developed into advanced data-base programmes.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 602
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    The nature of quantitative research
    An operational definition is:
    Devising measures of concepts is shown as step 4 in the process of quantitative research (fig. 7.1, p150). Bryman points out that this step is often referred to as operationalization, in other words, the series of separate steps we will take to make our research work for us. This is very important when we think about tests of validity of the research. The operational definition is therefore, the very opposite of abstract; attempting to phrase the concept so precisely as to make it capable of being tested in the research context.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 150
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Quantitative data analysis
    What is the name of the test that is used to assess the relationship between two ordinal variables?
    Pearson’s r test is extremely valuable but limited to assessing correlations between interval/ratio variables. Spearman’s rho test is a very similar technique which can be used on pairs of variables when either both are ordinal or one is ordinal and the other is interval/ratio. The result will lie between -1 and +1, indicating the range of possible correlation, from perfectly negative to perfectly positive. The phi coefficient is used for dichotomous variables and Cramer’s V is a test of the strength of the relationship between nominal variables. Chi square, in brief, tests for the likelihood of relationships existing through mere chance, so is usually used in conjunction with the tests discussed in this question.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 343
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS)
    Collection of observations is called:
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Structured observation
    It may not be possible to use a probability sample to observe behaviour in public places because:
    Quantitative research automatically brings probability sampling to mind. If we have defined the population closely and located a sampling frame, random sampling becomes feasible. The problem with observation, is that it is often focussed on an incident and as a result, we cannot know what other kinds of interaction might have gone on, and so we cannot know whether each episode was ‘representative’. It is not possible to develop a “snowball” sample either, because we are limited to observation alone. However, just as other data-gathering tools use non-probability samples, so too can direct observation. Answer (d) may be right – perhaps researchers try to steer clear of random sampling. This question is not concerned with research preference, however, but with research possibility.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 274
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Breaking down the quantitative/qualitative divide
    Which of the following is not one of the contrasts that has been made to distinguish between quantitative and qualitative research?
    The distinction between quantitative and qualitative research has been made in almost stereotypical ways, with contrasts between behaviour and meaning, numbers and words, artificiality and naturalism, being frequently cited. If we accept the “free-floating” nature of methods, though, we could view those contrasts as battles between researchers rather than as valuable differentiators of the methods’ focus. In the commercial world, quantitative and qualitative research often goes hand-in-hand, with results from one type developing testable hypotheses for the other. The over-riding question would seem to be “which type (if a choice must be made) will yield the richest data in my particular circumstances?”
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 626-629
    Author: rikazzz Comment
    Social research strategies: quantitative research and qualitative research
    An inductive theory is one that:
    A deduction is a conclusion drawn logically from an argument or a discussion of things previously established or known. Deductions can be expressed as hypotheses which can then be tested, so answer (a) must be incorrect. However, when we have gathered and analysed the research data, the research findings can be fed back into our existing knowledge, which is a form of induction. This is because induction means moving from the particular to the general. So answer (b) cannot be correct either. The usual application of inductive theory, however, is to allow theory to emerge from our findings. We find an interesting question, we gather data on it and we ‘theorise’ from our findings. It may be that these ‘theories’ are, in reality, simply ‘interesting insights’ rather than ‘grand theories’ but they can be valuable for all that. The methods used are “neither here nor there” although it may be more likely for deductive theory to use quantitative methods and for inductive approaches to use qualitative methods.
    Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 22-24
    Author: rikazzz Comment