Social research strategies: quantitative research and qualitative research
Which of the following is an example of value-free research?
Conscious partiality
Sympathy for the underdog
Unstructured interviewing
None of the above
None of the above
”Values reflect either the personal beliefs or the feelings of a researcher.” (Bryman, p39) Clearly, since answers (a) and (b) are indicative of values they cannot be correct. Unstructured interviewing is a research method, typically used in qualitative research strategies. But a method by itself cannot be regarded as value-free or value-laden, so it must also be incorrect, making answer (d) the correct answer by default. Can there be such a thing as ‘value-free’ research might have been a more pertinent question, considering the tone of some of the earlier questions for this chapter. Modern thinking suggests it is an impossibility, prompting a new approach of identifying our values and declaring them as part of our research report, so that readers can interpret our findings in the light of our biases.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 34-36
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 34-36
None of the above ”Values reflect either the personal beliefs or the feelings of a researcher.” (Bryman, p39) Clearly, since answers (a) and (b) are indicative of values they cannot be correct. Unstructured interviewing is a research method, typically used in qualitative research strategies. But a method by itself cannot be regarded as value-free or value-laden, so it must also be incorrect, making answer (d) the correct answer by default. Can there be such a thing as ‘value-free’ research might have been a more pertinent question, considering the tone of some of the earlier questions for this chapter. Modern thinking suggests it is an impossibility, prompting a new approach of identifying our values and declaring them as part of our research report, so that readers can interpret our findings in the light of our biases.
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 34-36
Reference: Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5th Edition Page(s) 34-36
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The qualitative research strategy places a value on:A. Using numbers, measurements and statistical techniques
B. Generating theories through inductive research about social meanings
C. Conducting research that is of a very high quality
D. All of the above
The constructionist ontological position suggests that:
A. Social phenomena and their meanings are constantly being accomplished by social actors
B. Individuals are born into a world of rules and structures that they cannot change
C. Building and construction work presents an ideal opportunity to exercise the sociological imagination
D. Social facts and objects have an external reality, independently of the people who perceive them
What is the epistemological position held by a positivist?
A. There is no substitute for an in-depth, hermeneutic understanding of society
B. Scientific research should be based on value-free, empirical observations
C. Events and discourses in the social world prevent us from having direct knowledge of the natural order
D. It is important to remain optimistic about our research, even when things go wrong
Which of the following is an ontological question?
A. Should I use questionnaires or interviews in my project?
B. What can (and should) be considered acceptable forms of knowledge?
C. How long is it since I last visited the dentist?
D. Do social entities have an objective reality, external to social actors?
What does an empiricist believe?
A. We should not apply natural science methods to social science research
B. It is the sociologist’s aim to understand the meaning of social action
C. Knowledge, in the form of ‘facts’, should be gained through sensory experience
D. Research conducted within the British empire was biased and unreliable
What is a ‘grand theory’?
A. One that was proposed by one of the major theorists in the sociological tradition
B. One that is highly abstract and makes broad generalizations about the social world
C. An intermediate level explanation of observed regularities
D. A particularly satisfactory theory that makes the researcher feel happy
An inductive theory is one that:
A. Involves testing an explicitly defined hypothesis
B. Does not allow for findings to feed back into the stock of knowledge
C. Uses quantitative methods whenever possible
D. Allows theory to emerge out of the data
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