Question 1

What is considered to be the principal advantage of using qualitative methods as an approach to doing social research?
A)Qualitative methods give &#8220;voice&#8221;to research participants.
B)Qualitative methods are relatively inexpensive.
C)Qualitative methods allow for causality to be established.
D)Qualitative methods involve the collection of data from large samples.
E)Qualitative methods require the researcher to spend a lot of time getting to know the research participants in a study.

Accepted Answer

The principal advantage of using qualitative methods as an approach to doing social research is that it gives "voice" to research participants. Qualitative research methods have a focus on understanding the subjective experiences and perspectives of research participants, which allows for their voices and experiences to be captured in a way that quantitative methods may not be able to do.

Question 2

What are the two main properties of a mixed methods research (quantitative and qualitative)?
A)Determining the research question and the priority of approaches
B)Determining the priority and sequencing of approaches
C)Determining the research question and the sampling techniques
D)Determining the sampling techniques and the sequencing of approaches
E)Determining the sequencing of approaches and the data collection

Accepted Answer

The two main properties of a mixed methods research are determining the priority and sequencing of approaches. This means deciding which approach (quantitative or qualitative) has priority and which one follows, as well as the order in which data is collected and analyzed. Other factors such as research question and sampling techniques can influence these decisions, but they are not the main properties of mixed methods research.

Question 3

Which of the following is considered a strength of mixed methods research?
A)Generalizability of findings may increase.
B)Conflicting results from quantitative and qualitative components can easily be resolved by resorting to epistemic prioritization.
C)It often takes less time to do mixed methods research than other kinds of social research.
D)It allows for very narrow research questions to be answered.
E)From a philosophical perspective,both qualitative and quantitative approaches are easily combined.

Accepted Answer

Mixed methods research can increase the generalizability of findings by combining the strengths of both quantitative and qualitative approaches, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the research problem.

Question 4

In mixed methods research,__________ data collection refers to when data for different parts of a mixed methods project are collected in stages,while __________ data collection refers to when qualitative and quantitative data are collected at the same time.
A)concurrent;sequential
B)sequential;concurrent
C)monostrand;multi-method
D)multi-method;monostrand
E)systematic;simple

Accepted Answer

The answer of In mixed methods research,__________ data collection refers...

Question 5

What is one of the major disadvantages of using focus groups compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?
A)There is always the problem of the &#8220;interviewer effect.&#8221;
B)There is always the problem of the &#8220;polarization effect.&#8221;
C)Accessing some individuals or groups may prove to very difficult.
D)The sources may be biased.
E)A fairly limited range of research questions can be addressed with this technique.

Accepted Answer

Focus groups can lead to the "polarization effect," where group dynamics may cause participants to adopt more extreme positions than they would individually.

Question 6

Which of the following best exemplifies the practice of epistemic prioritization?
A)Krithiga found her qualitative interview data coincided perfectly with her focus group data and so decided to report only on the qualitative interview data to avoid redundancy
B)Percy found his qualitative interview data conflicted with his quantitative content analysis data and so reported on the ways method influences results instead of reporting his findings
C)David found his telephone survey data conflicted with his focus group data and so decided to report only those findings that were based on the telephone survey data
D)Karen found her qualitative interview data shared few themes with her archival data and so reported on the disjunction between historical and contemporary discourses
E)Annette found her structured interview data conflicted with her fieldwork observations and so conducted a second set of structured interviews with a revised list of questions

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following best exemplifies the...

Question 7

Professor Bertha Bettina conducted a research project exploring adolescent girl peer group pressure.She used closed-ended questionnaires and focus groups.Of the 221 girls that fit the criteria for inclusion,90 girls agreed to complete the self-administered questionnaire;of those,50 girls agreed to participate in focus groups.During analysis,descriptive statistics about behaviours reported by the girls were joined with major themes that came out of the focus group interviews. Which one of the following types of sampling designs did Professor Bettina use?
A)Simple random sampling
B)Nonprobability purposive sampling
C)Cluster sampling
D)Simple random sampling and cluster sampling
E)Multi-method sampling

Accepted Answer

Professor Bettina used nonprobability purposive sampling, as she specifically chose girls who fit the criteria for inclusion and then purposefully selected those who agreed to complete the questionnaire and participate in focus groups.

Question 8

What is one of the major disadvantages of using quantitative content analysis over other quantitative forms of data collection?
A)They make studying hidden or deviant groups possible.
B)The range of research questions that can be addressed is fairly limited.
C)It is nonreactive.
D)Coding techniques are subject to interpretation.
E)It is unlikely that all the concepts the researcher is interested in will be included in the data.

Accepted Answer

Quantitative content analysis is limited in its ability to address research questions compared to other forms of quantitative data collection such as surveys or experiments. It is particularly suited to addressing questions about the frequency and distribution of certain types of content, but may not be as useful for understanding more complex relationships or causal patterns.

Question 9

What is one of the major disadvantages of using qualitative interviews compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?
A)There is always the problem of the &#8220;interviewer effect.&#8221;
B)There is always the problem of the &#8220;polarization effect.&#8221;
C)Accessing some individuals or groups may prove to very difficult.
D)The sources may be biased.
E)A fairly limited range of research questions can be addressed with this technique.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative interviews can be influenced by the "interviewer effect," where the presence or behavior of the interviewer may affect the responses of the interviewee.

Question 10

What is one of the major advantages of using qualitative historical research methods compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?
A)It is nonreactive.
B)Data collection allows the researcher to formulate a deep understanding of a group and its members.
C)It is limited by the availability and quality of documents and data.
D)Using existing sources frees up the immense amount of time that the data collection procedure can take.
E)It does not involve a sampling phase.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative historical research is nonreactive because it involves analyzing existing documents and records, which do not change or react to the researcher's presence or actions.

Question 11

A central concern of ________ is the question of how texts function in particular institutional settings to produce ruling relations that shape the experiences of individuals.
A)multi-method research
B)mixed methods research
C)institutional ethnography research
D)qualitative content analysis
E)quantitative content analysis

Accepted Answer

The central concern described is the focus of institutional ethnography research, as it specifically explores how institutional settings produce ruling relations that affect individuals. The other options are not directly related to this concept.

Question 12

What two methodological approaches were used in Kidd's (2004,2006)sequential study of suicide among street youth in Canada?
A)Qualitative interviews and survey research
B)Focus groups and survey research
C)Content analysis and field research
D)Discourse analysis and survey research
E)Survey research and field research

Accepted Answer

Kidd's study used both qualitative interviews and survey research to understand the experiences of street youth and their risk for suicide. The qualitative interviews allowed for in-depth exploration of individual experiences and perspectives, while the survey research allowed for a larger sample size and the ability to gather quantitative data.

Question 13

What is one of the major disadvantages of using experimental research compared to other quantitative forms of data collection?
A)It is not suitable for researching sensitive issues.
B)It relies on latent coding which is susceptible to interpretation issues.
C)The moderator may affect experiment outcomes.
D)Many of the questions social scientists are interested in cannot be tested.
E)It is possible to explore &#8220;meaning&#8221;of events,experiences,etc.,in much detail.

Accepted Answer

Many social science questions involve complex variables and ethical considerations that cannot be easily manipulated or tested in controlled experimental settings.

Question 14

Professor Xavier Zaniff wants to conduct research on the experiences of newly arriving immigrants in Toronto,Montreal,and Vancouver from 2012-2017.His research design includes two data collection techniques: focus groups and in-depth interviews.Which research design is he using?
A)Monostrand design
B)Quantitative research design
C)Historical research
D)Multi-method research
E)Mixed methods

Accepted Answer

The research design includes two data collection techniques, focus groups and in-depth interviews, which makes it a multi-method research design.

Question 15

Despite a general agreement among social scientists that mixed methods research is an ideal way to approach research questions,very few researchers engage in this type of research.Why is this the case?
A)It is very time consuming and labour intensive.
B)It is often the case that social scientists consider themselves predominantly &#8220;quantitative&#8221;or &#8220;qualitative&#8221;and that to undertake mixed methods requires them to step outside of their comfort zones and,perhaps,master a new technique.
C)The results of the research are often difficult to publish due to the increased likelihood of obtaining contradictory findings.
D)A and B
E)A and C

Accepted Answer

The reason why very few researchers engage in mixed methods research is because it is both time-consuming and labor-intensive, as well as requiring researchers to step outside of their comfort zones and master new techniques. Additionally, the results of mixed methods research may often be difficult to publish due to the increased likelihood of obtaining contradictory findings. Therefore, both options A and B are correct, which makes option D the best choice. Option C is incorrect because it only addresses one of the reasons why social scientists may be hesitant to engage in mixed methods research.

Question 16

Professor Klaus von Stoppen obtained conflicting results in the qualitative and quantitative parts of his mixed methods study on illicit drug use among high school students in Saskatoon.What approach should he take to resolve this contradiction?
A)He should get another researcher to re-do the study.
B)He should re-do the study.
C)He does not need to resolve the contradiction.
D)He should make the decision to prioritize one approach over the other.
E)He should reanalyze the data to examine the reasons behind the contradictions.

Accepted Answer

Professor Klaus von Stoppen should reanalyze the data to examine the reasons behind the contradictions. This would involve carefully examining the qualitative and quantitative data to identify the factors that may have contributed to the conflicting results. It may also involve a deeper understanding of the methodology used in both approaches, as well as the context in which the study was conducted. By doing so, he will be able to understand the reasons for the contradictions and possibly reconcile the differences to obtain a more accurate picture of the drug use among high school students in Saskatoon.

Question 17

In social scientific research,__________ design is the opposite of mixed methods design.
A)priority
B)concurrent
C)sequential
D)univariate
E)monostrand

Accepted Answer

Monostrand design involves using only one type of data collection method, either qualitative or quantitative, unlike mixed methods design which combines both.

Question 18

Which of the following is not one of the weaknesses of mixed methods research?
A)It is very labour intensive.
B)It can be very expensive.
C)Conflicting results can be difficult to resolve.
D)Generalizability of findings decreases.
E)Some &#8220;purists&#8221;argue mixing methods violates the philosophical underpinnings of these approaches.

Accepted Answer

Generalizability of findings does not decrease with mixed methods research. In fact, mixed methods research is often used specifically to increase generalizability by providing a more comprehensive understanding of a research question or problem.

Question 19

What is one of the major advantages of using qualitative interviews compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?
A)They make studying hidden or deviant groups possible.
B)They are inexpensive.
C)They are nonreactive.
D)Participants tend to feel empowered.
E)They allow for unexpected answers.

Accepted Answer

Qualitative interviews allow for unexpected answers because the interviewer can probe deeper into the participant's response and ask follow-up questions. This can lead to a deeper understanding of the participant's perspective and experiences. Other qualitative forms of data collection, such as surveys or focus groups, may not allow for this level of follow-up and exploration.

Question 20

Professors Bertha Bettina conducted a research project exploring adolescent girl peer group pressure.She used closed-ended questionnaires and focus groups.Of the 221 girls that fit the criteria for inclusion,90 girls agreed to complete the self-administered questionnaire;of those,50 girls agreed to participate in focus groups.During analysis,descriptive statistics about behaviours reported by the girls were joined with major themes that came out of the focus group interviews. Which one of the following types of data analysis did Bettina use?
A)Sequential data analysis
B)Monostrand data analysis
C)Multi-method data analysis
D)Triangulation
E)Concurrent data analysis

Accepted Answer

The answer of Professors Bertha Bettina conducted a research project...

Quiz 16: Combining Methods in Social Science Research

What is considered to be the principal advantage of using qualitative methods as an approach to doing social research?

What are the two main properties of a mixed methods research (quantitative and qualitative) ?

Which of the following is considered a strength of mixed methods research?

In mixed methods research, data collection refers to when data for different parts of a mixed methods project are collected in stages,while data collection refers to when qualitative and quantitative data are collected at the same time.

What is one of the major disadvantages of using focus groups compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?

Which of the following best exemplifies the practice of epistemic prioritization?

What is one of the major disadvantages of using quantitative content analysis over other quantitative forms of data collection?

What is one of the major disadvantages of using qualitative interviews compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?

What is one of the major advantages of using qualitative historical research methods compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?

A central concern of ________ is the question of how texts function in particular institutional settings to produce ruling relations that shape the experiences of individuals.

What two methodological approaches were used in Kidd's (2004,2006) sequential study of suicide among street youth in Canada?

What is one of the major disadvantages of using experimental research compared to other quantitative forms of data collection?

Professor Xavier Zaniff wants to conduct research on the experiences of newly arriving immigrants in Toronto,Montreal,and Vancouver from 2012-2017.His research design includes two data collection techniques: focus groups and in-depth interviews.Which research design is he using?

Despite a general agreement among social scientists that mixed methods research is an ideal way to approach research questions,very few researchers engage in this type of research.Why is this the case?

Professor Klaus von Stoppen obtained conflicting results in the qualitative and quantitative parts of his mixed methods study on illicit drug use among high school students in Saskatoon.What approach should he take to resolve this contradiction?

In social scientific research,__________ design is the opposite of mixed methods design.

Which of the following is not one of the weaknesses of mixed methods research?

What is one of the major advantages of using qualitative interviews compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?