Question 1

Which of the following research questions would a qualitative approach be most appropriate for?&#10;A) Does anxiety have an impact upon teenagers' self-efficacy?&#10;B) How do teenagers make sense of anxiety?&#10;C) Are experiences of anxiety associated with teenagers' lifestyle?&#10;D) To what extent does severity of anxiety correlate with level of stress in teenagers?

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research is most suitable for exploring subjective experiences, meanings, and perspectives. Option B, which focuses on understanding how teenagers make sense of anxiety, aligns with the exploratory and interpretive nature of qualitative research, aiming to delve into the complexities of personal experiences and interpretations.

Question 2

Inductive reasoning refers to&#10;A) the idea that phenomena are created by the actions and perceptions of social actors and are a continuous process.&#10;B) starting from the wide picture (the theory) and working down from this to the specifics (hypothesis testing).&#10;C) the idea that it is only possible to understand something in the context of how people perceive and make sense of it.&#10;D) starting with the specifics (the data) and working up from this to generate ideas about the bigger picture (theories and concepts).

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning involves starting with specific observations or data and then working towards forming broader generalizations and theories. This approach is about generating new theories and concepts based on the analysis of collected data.

Question 3

What is it called when the researcher considers and takes note of the influence of their own thoughts, feelings, motivations, and reactions upon the research process and findings?&#10;A) Reflexivity&#10;B) Interpretivism&#10;C) Constructionism&#10;D) Phenomenology

Accepted Answer

Reflexivity involves the researcher's awareness and acknowledgment of how their own experiences, biases, and perspectives may influence the research process and outcomes. It is a critical self-reflection on the researcher's part regarding their role and impact on the research.

Question 4

Which is not a reason why a researcher might use a qualitative design?&#10;A) To explore a group of people's experiences&#10;B) To test hypotheses&#10;C) To generate theory&#10;D) To understand how meanings are constructed

Accepted Answer

Qualitative research is primarily exploratory and is used to gain an understanding of underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations. It is not typically used to test hypotheses, which is more the domain of quantitative research.

Question 5

Recordings of real-world social interactions are a common type of data for which of the following analytic techniques?&#10;A) Thematic analysis&#10;B) Interpretative phenomenological analysis&#10;C) Discourse analysis&#10;D) Grounded theory

Accepted Answer

Discourse analysis focuses on studying language in use and is often applied to recordings of real-world social interactions to understand communication patterns and social practices.

Question 6

Which qualitative data collection method involves asking participants to regularly write down their experiences on the research topic?&#10;A) Participant logs&#10;B) Questionnaires&#10;C) Observation&#10;D) Interviews

Accepted Answer

Participant logs involve participants regularly recording their experiences or thoughts on the research topic, making it a qualitative data collection method focused on personal, detailed accounts over time.

Question 7

What are secondary data sources?&#10;A) Information which is gathered face to face&#10;B) Information which was collected specifically for the purposes of research&#10;C) Online sources of information&#10;D) Information which was not written or created for the purposes of research

Accepted Answer

Secondary data sources refer to information that was not originally collected for the specific purpose of the research at hand but was created or gathered for other reasons. This contrasts with primary data, which is collected directly by the researcher for their specific study.

Question 8

What type of sampling involves selecting potential participants based on criteria which address the research question?&#10;A) Theoretical sampling&#10;B) Purposive sampling&#10;C) Random sampling&#10;D) Key informant sampling

Accepted Answer

Purposive sampling involves selecting participants based on specific characteristics or criteria that are relevant to the research question, allowing researchers to focus on particular traits or phenomena of interest.

Question 9

How can researchers promote transferability in their qualitative research?&#10;A) Provide a rich, detailed account of the study's sample, context, and findings.&#10;B) Include information about the context in which the study was conducted.&#10;C) Collect data on the same topic in multiple ways.&#10;D) Show an initial version of the findings to the participants.

Accepted Answer

Providing a rich, detailed account of the study's sample, context, and findings allows readers to assess the transferability of the findings to their own contexts.

Question 10

Which is not an example of information which might be given to help participants to make an informed choice about whether to take part in a qualitative study?&#10;A) Details of the research team&#10;B) What the study will involve&#10;C) Contact details of the other participants&#10;D) Whether an audio or video recording will be made

Accepted Answer

Contact details of other participants would not be shared due to privacy and confidentiality concerns. Sharing such information would violate ethical guidelines designed to protect participants' privacy.

Deck 21: Qualitative Design