Deck 4: Factors Influencing the Research Process

Question 1

Which of the following illustrates the use of the inductive method?

A) hypothesis, observations, accept or reject hypothesis.
B) observations, pattern finding, and generalizations.
C) theory, hypothesis, observations, generalizations.
D) theory, observations, and generalizations.
E) generalizations, theory, and observations.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Explanatory studies:

A) can employ qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed methods.
B) always use qualitative methods.
C) always use quantitative methods.
D) none of these.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A study that attempts to develop an in-depth subjective understanding of a unique cult is being guided by what paradigm?

A) positivism.
B) feminist research.
C) interpretivism.
D) critical social science.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

A theory is

A) a paradigm
B) a hypothesis
C) a systematic set of interrelated statements intended to explain something
D) All of these

Question 5

Descriptive studies:

A) can employ qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed methods.
B) always use qualitative methods.
C) always use quantitative methods.
D) none of these

Question 6

To obtain approximate,tentative answers about how widespread an outbreak of welfare rights protests is,a researcher would conduct

A) a trend study.
B) an explanatory study.
C) an exploratory study.
D) a longitudinal study.
E) a descriptive study.

Question 7

Exploratory studies:

A) can employ qualitative, quantitative, and/or mixed methods.
B) always use qualitative methods.
C) always use quantitative methods.
D) usually use quantitative methods.

Question 8

Research designs can be descriptive,explanatory,or exploratory,but never more than one.

Question 9

Which of the following statements is true regarding the influence of ethical considerations on social work research?

A) If a study violates any ethical guidelines, regardless of how subtle the violation is and regardless of the study's expected benefits, it will not be approved by an IRB.
B) It is sometimes difficult to judge whether the expected benefits of a study outweigh subtle and arguable ethical concerns.
C) Most agency studies that involve their clients as research participants do NOT require obtaining IRB approval.
D) If a study is being done on clients who are court ordered for treatment, voluntary participation and informed consent are no longer relevant as an ethical issue.

Question 10

If social workers wanted to find out how satisfied clients are,on the average,with the services they received,they would undertake

A) a descriptive study.
B) a trend study
C) a cohort study.
D)an exploratory study.
E) an explanatory study.

Question 11

Evaluation studies:

A) are done for exploration purposes.
B) are done for description purposes.
C) al are done for explanation purposes.
D) can be done for exploration, description or explanatory purposes.

Question 12

A study that attempts to gather data as ammunition for advocating for a particular cause is being guided by what paradigm?

A) positivism.
B) advocacyism.
C) interpretivism.
D) critical social science.

Question 13

Descriptive studies do NOT

A) study relationships between variables.
B) tell why something occurred.
C) use operational definitions.
D) use concepts.
E) Descriptive studies DO all of the above.

Question 14

A study of how the same clients discharged from a mental hospital in 2000 were functioning in 2001,2002,2003,and so on through 2007 would be

A) an inductive study
B) a qualitative study
C) a longitudinal study
D) a cross-sectional study

Question 15

Alex interviews the same survivors of a hurricane immediately after the hurricane and then again at 3 month intervals over two years to see how the effects of the hurricane on them change over time.Alex is conducting a:

A) trend study.
B) cohort study
C) panel study.
D) cross-sectional study.

Question 16

It is sometimes possible to predict something correctly and accurately even if we don't yet understand it.

Question 17

Explanatory studies are designed to find answers to which of the following questions?

A) Are people's attitudes toward public welfare changing?
B) Why are people's attitudes toward public welfare changing?
C) Who watches soap operas?
D) All of the above.

Question 18

Critical social science researchers view research as a way to marshal ammunition in support of their social change efforts.

Question 19

If a researcher wanted to know why there was a noticeable increase in the number of reported incidents of child abuse in the town of Southpaw during 2005,the researcher would design

A) a descriptive study.
B) an explanatory study.
C) a trend study.
D) a longitudinal study.
E) an exploratory study.

Question 20

A study that attempts to maximize precision and objectivity in testing whether an intervention reduces an undesirable behavior is being guided by what paradigm?

A) postmodernism.
B) positivism.
C) interpretivism.
D) critical social science.

Question 21

Describe one way in which organizational or political concerns could influence social work researchers to modify their research plans.

Question 22

Descriptive research answers the question "what's so" and explanatory research answers the question "why."

Question 23

How are theory and research linked? Give examples.

Question 24

Explain the differences between the interpretivist and critical theory paradigms.

Question 25

Explain how a study could be conducted within the critical social science paradigm using research methods associated with the positivist paradigm.

Question 26

Any organization wishing to receive federal research support must establish an IRB that reviews all of the organization's research proposals involving human participants and rules on their ethics.

Question 27

Discuss exploratory,descriptive and explanatory purposes for doing research.Describe a social work research study that illustrates each purpose.

Question 28

A research study must choose between the inductive versus the deductive method; it cannot use both methods.

Question 29

Social work practice models,like theories,can influence the research process.

Question 30

In deduction we start from observed data and develop a generalization that explains the relationship between the observed concepts.

Question 31

Discuss how two social work practice models might lead to different research studies about school social work with children who are disruptive in the classroom.

Question 32

Contrast the inductive model of theory construction with the deductive model.Give examples of research that use each of these models.

Question 33

It is sometimes difficult for IRB panelists to decide whether to approve a proposed study.

Question 34

Mary chronicles people's attitudes toward an upcoming poverty program.Mary is doing explanatory research.

Question 35

Explain why attrition can be an important problem in panel studies and how it can distort the results.

Question 36

Although cultural competence is important in social work practice,it is NOT important in social work research.