Deck 2: Legal Education and Risk Management (RM) 2: Sampling, Strategies, and Practical Considerations

Question 1

Which of the following is not a type of purposive sampling?

A)probability sampling
B)deviant case sampling
C)theoretical sampling
D)snowball sampling

Answer 1

probability sampling

Question 2

The minimum sample size for qualitative interviewing is:

A)30
B)31
C)60
D)it\s hard to say

Answer 2

it\s hard to say

Question 3

Apart from people, what else can purposive sampling be used for?

A)documents
B)timing of events
C)context
D)all of the above

Answer 3

all of the above

Question 4

What can be generalized from a purposive sample?

A)that the findings are true for broadly similar cases
B)that the findings are true for the entire population
C)that the opposite is true for people who are the opposite of those in the sample
D)that purposive sampling is better than probability sampling

Question 5

Which of the following is a problem associated with survey research?

A)the problem of objectivity
B)the problem of "going native"
C)the problem of omission
D)the problem of robustness

Question 6

The key advantage of structured observation over survey research is that:

A)it does not rely on the researcher\s ability to take notes
B)the researcher is immersed as a participant in the field they are studying
C)it does not impose any expectations of behaviour on the respondents
D)it allows you to observe people\s behaviour directly

Question 7

It may not be possible to use a probability sample to observe behaviour in public places because:

A)the findings of such studies are not intended to have external validity
B)it is not feasible to construct a sampling frame of interactions
C)it is difficult to gain access to such social settings
D)researchers prefer not to use random samples whenever possible

Question 8

Which of the following is not a type of sampling used in structured observation?

A)focal sampling
B)scan sampling
C)emotional sampling
D)behaviour sampling

Question 9

One of the criticisms often levelled at structured observation is that:

A)it does not allow us to impose any framework on the social setting
B)it only generates a small amount of data
C)it is unethical to observe people without an observation schedule
D)it does not allow us to understand the intentions behind behaviour

Question 10

What is a research design?

A)a way of conducting research that is not grounded in theory
B)the choice between using qualitative or quantitative methods
C)the style in which you present your research findings, e.g. a graph
D)a framework for every stage of the collection and analysis of data

Question 11

Cross cultural studies are an example of:

A)case study design
B)comparative design
C)experimental design
D)longitudinal design

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

An important practical issue to consider when designing a research project is:

A)which theoretical perspective you find most interesting
B)whether or not you have time to retile the bathroom first
C)how much time and money you have to conduct the research
D)which colour of ring binder to present your work in

Question 16

You can manage your time and resources best, by:

A)working out a timetable
B)finding out what resources are readily available to you
C)calculating a budget for likely expenditure
D)all of the above

Question 17

How can you tell if your research questions are really good?

A)if they guide your literature search
B)if they are linked together to help you construct a coherent argument
C)if they force you to narrow the scope of your research
D)all of the above

Question 18

Which of the following should be included in a research proposal?

A)your academic status and experience
B)the difficulties you encountered with your previous reading on the topic
C)your choice of research methods and reasons for choosing them
D)all of the above

Question 19

Which of the following should you think about when preparing your research?

A)your sample frame and sampling strategy
B)the ethical issues that might arise
C)negotiating access to the setting
D)all of the above

Question 20

What practical steps can you take before you actually start your research?

A)find out exactly what your institution\s requirements are for a dissertation
B)make sure you are familiar with the hardware and software you plan to use
C)apply for clearance of your project through an ethics committee
D)all of the above

Question 21

Why do you need to review the existing literature?

A)to make sure you have a long list of references
B)because without it, you could never reach the required word-count
C)to find out what is already known about your area of interest
D)to help in your general studying

Question 22

What is the first stage of a systematic review?

A)assess the relevance of each study to the research question(s)
B)define the purpose and scope of the review
C)appraise the quality of studies from the previous step
D)survey all of the literature contained within a single library

Question 23

The term "secondary analysis" refers to the technique of:

A)conducting a study of seconds, minutes and other measures of time
B)analysing your own data in two different ways
C)analysing existing data that has been collected by another person or organization
D)working part time on a project alongside other responsibilities

Question 24

Why might secondary analysis be a particularly useful method for students?

A)it is relatively easy to do
B)it saves time and money
C)it does not require any knowledge of statistics
D)it only requires a half-hearted effort

Question 25

Which of the following is not an advantage of secondary analysis?

A)it immerses the researcher in the field they are studying
B)it tends to be based on high quality data
C)it provides an opportunity for longitudinal analysis
D)it allows you to study patterns and social trends over time

Question 26

The large samples used in national social surveys enable new researchers to:

A)avoid using probability sampling
B)identify any bias in the question wording
C)evaluate the inter-coder reliability of the data
D)conduct subgroup analysis

Question 27

Which of the following is not a disadvantage of using secondary analysis?

A)the researcher's lack of familiarity with the data
B)it is a relatively expensive and time consuming process
C)hierarchical datasets can be very confusing
D)the researcher has no control over the quality of the data