The nature of qualitative research
Which of the following is a method that is commonly used in qualitative research?
Self-completion questionnaires
Surveys
Ethnography
Structured observation
Ethnography
Quantitative research is concerned with quantities, so qualitative research must be concerned with qualities. These stem from the words people use rather than how often they say them or how many people say the same words. Qualitative research studies what people say and how they say it, in terms of tone of voice and accompanying gestures, for example. Various methods have been devised to gather this kind of data, including in-depth interviews, focus groups and participant observation/ethnography, whereby the researcher becomes immersed in a social setting to observe the culture of a group. Answers (a), (b) and (d) belong to quantitative research strategies.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 377,378
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 377,378
Ethnography Quantitative research is concerned with quantities, so qualitative research must be concerned with qualities. These stem from the words people use rather than how often they say them or how many people say the same words. Qualitative research studies what people say and how they say it, in terms of tone of voice and accompanying gestures, for example. Various methods have been devised to gather this kind of data, including in-depth interviews, focus groups and participant observation/ethnography, whereby the researcher becomes immersed in a social setting to observe the culture of a group. Answers (a), (b) and (d) belong to quantitative research strategies.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 377,378
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 377,378
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A sensitizing concept is one that:A. Provides general guidance for more flexible research
B. Imposes a predetermined theoretical model on the social world
C. Helps the researcher to investigate sensitive issues
D. Allows the researcher to measure very small changes in a variable
What is meant by the term “grounded theory”?
A. Theories should be tested by rigorous scientific experiments
B. As a social researcher, it is important to keep your feet on the ground
C. Theories should be grounded in political values and biases
D. Theoretical ideas and concepts should emerge from the data
Why do qualitative researchers like to give detailed descriptions of social settings?
A. To provide a contextual understanding of social behaviour
B. Because once they have left the field, it is difficult to remember what happened
C. So that they can compare their observations as a test of reliability
D. Because they do not believe in going beyond the level of description
Which of the following is not a criticism of qualitative research?
A. The studies are difficult to replicate
B. There is a lack of transparency
C. The approach is too rigid and inflexible
D. The accounts are too subjective and impressionistic
Respondent validation is the process by which:
A. The validity of an interview schedule can be measured
B. Researchers ask their participants to comment on an account of the findings
C. The problem of low response rates to a survey can be overcome
D. Participants collaborate with the researcher to design the research
Which of the following is not a contrast between quantitative and qualitative research?
A. Distance vs. proximity of researcher to participants
B. Generalization vs. contextual understanding
C. Hard, reliable data vs. rich, deep data
D. Interpretivist vs. feminist
Why has qualitative research been seen to have an affinity with feminism?
A. It allows women’s voices to be heard, rather than objectifying and exploiting them
B. It has always been carried out by female sociologists
C. It allows the researcher to control variables and suppress women’s voices
D. It claims to be value free and non-political
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