Deck 4: Research Designs: It Depends on the Question

Question 1

Which of the following sequences best describes the initial steps in the research process?

A) Review literature $\rightarrow$ select topic $\rightarrow$ design research $\rightarrow$ formulate research question
B) Review literature $\rightarrow$ select topic $\rightarrow$ formulate research question $\rightarrow$ design research
C) Select topic $\rightarrow$ review literature $\rightarrow$ formulate research question $\rightarrow$ design research
D) Formulate research question $\rightarrow$ select topic $\rightarrow$ design research $\rightarrow$ review literature

Answer 1

Select topic $\rightarrow$ review literature $\rightarrow$ formulate research question $\rightarrow$ design research

Question 2

According to Box 4.1, which of the following guidelines is recommended for searching the literature?

A) Start by searching the Internet.
B) Identify and read classic studies first and then work forward.
C) Do not begin to narrow a topic until you have thoroughly reviewed the literature.
D) Conduct a keyword search of the library's electronic databases.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to Box 4.1, which information source is likely to produce the most recent and relevant references to social science research?

A) Library online catalog
B) Internet
C) SocINDEX and PsycINFO online databases
D) Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of an explanatory research question?

A) In what ways do elementary school students seek help from their teachers?
B) How often do elementary school students seek help from their teachers?
C) How do teachers interpret the help-seeking actions of elementary school students?
D) Are specific forms of help seeking related to the social class background of elementary school students?

Question 5

Which of the following is an example of a quantitative research question?

A) Are specific forms of help seeking related to the social class background of elementary school students?
B) How do elementary school children seek help from their teachers?
C) How do teachers interpret the help-seeking actions of elementary school students?
D) What educational advantages are gained by elementary students who actively seek help in the classroom?

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a qualitative research question?

A) What is the relationship between alcohol consumption and academic performance?
B) How do immigrants maintain relations with their home country?
C) Do older people have a greater fear of crime than younger people?
D) Does the size of your place of residence influence your tolerance for opposing views?

Question 7

According to Box 4.4, a correlation coefficient of .10 between SAT score and college GPA is statistically significant at p < .01. This indicates that the association is

A) weak but significant.
B) weak and nonsignificant.
C) strong and significant.
D) strong but nonsignificant.

Question 8

Whether you are addressing a quantitative or qualitative research question, the first step to consider in developing your research design is to

A) select the group or setting you intend to study.
B) select a research approach or strategy
C) identify the variables in your research question.
D) formulate a hypothesis.

Question 9

Which research strategy would be most suitable for addressing a qualitative research question?

A) Experiment
B) Survey
C) Analysis of existing statistics
D) Field research

Question 10

A key assumption underlying qualitative research is that

A) how people act in a given situation depends on how they interpret the situation.
B) it is possible to describe the social world in terms of universal laws like those in physics.
C) gaining an in-depth understanding of phenomena requires the observation of a large number of cases.
D) all research questions should be transformed into testable hypotheses.

Question 11

In qualitative research, deciding what and whom to observe

A) is the first and foremost consideration in research design.
B) may occur after a researcher begins to gather data.
C) usually involves random selection.
D) depends on how broadly a researcher aims to generalize his or her results.

Question 12

Research questions in qualitative research

A) provide the same basis for research design as quantitative research questions.
B) provide clear choices about what and whom to observe.
C) are starting points that may be modified once researchers are in the field.
D) identify the variables that must be considered in the research design.

Question 13

The main purpose of a literature review is to make sure that previous research has not addressed one's research question.

Question 14

According to Box 4.1, the best place to begin a literature review is to search the library's online databases.

Question 15

According to Box 4.1, in conducting a search of the social science literature, using a search engine on the Internet will identify the most relevant and up-to-date sources.

Question 16

Descriptive research questions ask how and why phenomena occur.

Question 17

Quantitative research questions are often transformed into testable hypotheses.

Question 18

Qualitative research questions focus on the meaning and purpose of human behavior.

Question 19

According to Box 4.2, the ecological fallacy may occur when using data on groups to draw conclusions about the behavior of individuals within those groups.

Question 20

According to Box 4.4, statistical significance indicates whether a relationship is spurious or nonspurious.

Question 21

Research design in qualitative research is more flexible than in quantitative research.

Question 22

Qualitative research aims to generalize study results to a specified group, such as a city, state, or nation.

Question 23

Qualitative researchers typically analyze data throughout the process of data collection.

Question 24

More so than quantitative research, qualitative research facilitates the development of theory.

Question 25

Both qualitative and quantitative research aim to establish causal relationships.

Question 26

Carefully explain the purpose of a literature review. In what ways can it help researchers to formulate a research question and to design research to address that question?

Question 27

Suppose an anthropologist studies several villages in southern India. For each village they have data on the number of people and the average age of men and women, and have computed an index of the monetary value of various consumer goods in the village (e.g., the value of the total number of refrigerators, televisions, and air conditioners divided by the size of the population). An analysis of these data reveals that the villages with populations having the lowest average age also have the highest average dollar value of modern consumer goods (Bernard, 1994).
a. What is the unit of analysis in this study?
b. Can the anthropologist conclude from this association that young people purchase more modern consumer goods than older people? Why or why not?

Question 28

Suppose you want to investigate the effect of management leadership style on organizational performance (in terms of, for example, level of profit, market share, and product quality).
a. What would be the independent variable in your study?
b. What would be the dependent variable?
c. What would be the unit of analysis?

Question 29

Suppose a national survey of college students includes measures of depression and the amount of exercise that a student gets. The survey shows that students who exercise frequently tend to be less depressed than students who seldom exercise.
a. What do these data reveal about the causal relationship between amount of exercise and depression?
b. Can you conclude that lack of exercise is a cause of depression?

Question 30

Compare and contrast quantitative and qualitative research questions with respect to their basic aims and the research approaches and processes that are used to address them.