Question 1

Discuss the main features of focus groups under the following headings: the structure of the focus group,the role of the focus group facilitator,the number of groups in a focus group study,and focus group dynamics.

Accepted Answer

-The focus group procedure: A researcher gathers together 6 to 12 people in a room with a moderator to discuss a few issues; most focus groups last about 90 minutes,and groups are held in rooms equipped with audio and video recording facilities so that the sessions can be accurately transcribed afterward.
-The role of the moderator: The moderator is trained to be nondirective and to facilitate free,open discussion by all group members; does not interfere in the discussion but starts the group off with the general topic; follows an interview guide to make sure that all the topics related to answering the research question are answered; and ensures that the conversation stays on track and does not veer too far off the topic determined by the research question.
-The number of groups in a focus group study: There is no set number of groups that a researcher interviews to answer his or her research question except that the number of groups has a lot to do with the number of demographic factors that he or she wants to "control" or account for; time and money often dictate the number of interviews that a researcher can undertake.Ideally,the grounded theory approach should be the yardstick by which researchers decide on their number of focus groups (theoretical sampling/theoretical saturation).
-Focus groups as social groups: Unlike individual qualitative interviews,focus groups have the additional characteristic of being groups with their own social dynamics,which condition the opinions expressed within them.Focus group participants speak from many "voices," depending on how other members of the focus group are contributing and how they are being instructed by the moderator.Focus groups are also prone to the phenomena of "groupthink" and members playing "devil's advocate."

Question 2

Which of the following terms is NOT relevant for qualitative interviews?
A) In-depth interviews
B) Informal interviews
C) Structured interviews
D) Open-ended interviews
E) Ethnographic interviews

Accepted Answer

Structured interviews are usually associated with quantitative research and involve standardized questions and response formats. Qualitative interviews are more flexible, with questions tailored to the specific experiences and perspectives of each participant. A, B, D, and E all describe common types of qualitative interviews.

Question 3

Describe the problems with validity and reliability in qualitative interviewing.What might help to overcome these problems?

Accepted Answer

-Sample sizes are usually small in comparison to those used in quantitative work,and therefore members of the research community question whether the results of such studies are actually applicable to a wider population beyond those in the interview sample.This can be overcome by researchers depositing their data with established data banks and by ensuring that their data is made available to other interested researchers who may want to reanalyze it.
-Lincoln and Guba (1985)have suggested that qualitative data be evaluated according to their trustworthiness.To increase the trustworthiness of qualitative interview data,researchers can ensure that their data are made available to other interested researchers who may want to reanalyze it.Researchers using qualitative interviews can also maximize the transferability (or generalizability)of their findings to populations beyond their immediate sample by selecting participants who are not entirely homogeneous.

Question 4

Which of the following sets is an example of "contrasting informants"?
A) Rookies and veterans
B) The leader in charge of a group and individuals who people look up to
C) Frustrated people and needy people
D) Poor individuals and unemployed individuals
E) An exotic dancer and a prostitute

Accepted Answer

Rookies and veterans are contrasting informants because they have different levels of experience and knowledge.

Question 5

Professor Simon Salamander listens to the interview recordings from his participants and decides that he only wants to transcribe the parts that are most relevant to his research questions.Professor Salamander is engaging in
A) manipulation of the data.
B) selective transcription.
C) truncated transcription.
D) structured transcription.
E) Kvale questioning.

Accepted Answer

Selective transcription involves choosing only the most relevant parts of the interview recordings to transcribe, which is what Professor Salamander is doing. This allows for a more efficient use of time and resources, while still gathering the necessary data for the research questions.

Question 6

High school student Ricardo Francisco becomes an informant in a qualitative research study on youth gangs in Vancouver.This means that he
A) is very familiar with the culture and is in a position to witness significant events.
B) is now able to offer incentives to fellow gang members for participation in the study.
C) is now able to work as research assistant for the study.
D) is immediately accepted by all youth gang members participating in the study.
E) plays the role of a key witness in court when testifying against the illegal activities carried out by members of the gang.

Accepted Answer

As an informant in a qualitative research study on youth gangs in Vancouver, Ricardo Francisco would be someone who is familiar with the culture and in a position to witness significant events. This means he would be able to provide valuable insights and information to the researchers, which is the main purpose of having informants in such studies. Options B, C, D, and E are not necessarily true or relevant in the context of being an informant in a research study.

Question 7

Specify and describe four features of qualitative interviews that would be considered an advantage over quantitative structured interviews.

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

Describe four characteristics of qualitative interviews.What are the specific features for each of these characteristics?

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

In what way does the qualitative interview differ from a friendly conversation?
A) The friendly conversation has an explicit goal or purpose, whereas the qualitative interview often does not have a specific goal in mind.
B) The friendly conversation contains many instances of repetition, whereas the qualitative interview tends to avoid going over the same details more than once.
C) In a friendly conversation the participants usually avoid abbreviations and jargon, but in a qualitative interview the interviewer tries to use the same jargon and expressions familiar to the participant.
D) In a friendly conversation the participants tend to speak out of turn and cut each other off, whereas in a qualitative interview the interviewer will often interrupt the participant's response in order to ask for clarification.
E) During a friendly conversation a pause or brief silence is acceptable, whereas in a qualitative interview pauses can be used by the interviewer to get the interviewee to elaborate on a previous point.

Accepted Answer

In a qualitative interview, pauses are often used strategically by the interviewer to encourage the interviewee to provide more information or elaborate on a previous point. In a friendly conversation, pauses are usually just a natural break in the conversation and do not have any specific purpose. Therefore, the use of pauses is one way in which a qualitative interview differs from a friendly conversation. Choices A, B, C, and D are not accurate descriptions of the differences between a qualitative interview and a friendly conversation.

Question 10

What are five specific limitations of focus groups?

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

In qualitative interviewing,________ and ________ sampling techniques are typically used.
A) random; probability
B) purposive; probability
C) random; snowball
D) purposive; snowball
E) purposive; random

Accepted Answer

Purposive sampling allows the researcher to select specific individuals who have the knowledge or experience related to the research topic, while snowball sampling allows the researcher to recruit more participants through referrals from initial participants. These two techniques are commonly used in qualitative interviewing as they allow for a targeted and diverse sample. Random and probability sampling, on the other hand, are more commonly used in quantitative research. Therefore, the best choice is D, which includes the two commonly used techniques in qualitative interviewing.

Question 12

What are four ideal characteristics of a good informant? Identify and describe each one.

Accepted Answer

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Question 13

Which of the following is an example of a "specifying question" in qualitative interviewing?
A) Why do you think people smoke?
B) How many people in your social network smoke?
C) Do you think smoking for all those years has affected your current health?
D) What made you decide to quit smoking?
E) Why do you think your family wanted you to quit smoking?

Accepted Answer

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Question 14

Interviewing subjects until the same general themes continue to emerge from the data and no new findings are being revealed is referred to as
A) theoretical sampling.
B) theoretical saturation.
C) snowball sampling.
D) selective transcription.
E) inductive theory.

Accepted Answer

The process of interviewing subjects until the same general themes continue to emerge from the data and no new findings are being revealed is referred to as theoretical saturation. This is when the data is considered to be rich and complete, and the researcher has enough information to support the development of theories and conclusions.

Question 15

The number of people interviewed in a qualitative study on the construction of bisexual identity is dictated mainly by
A) sample sizes from previous research studies.
B) the researcher's time and resources.
C) the sponsoring organization's research guidelines.
D) the length of the interview schedule.
E) the number of interviewers available on the research team.

Accepted Answer

The number of people interviewed in a qualitative study is mainly dictated by the researcher's time and resources. Qualitative research often involves in-depth interviews, which can be time-consuming and require substantial resources. Therefore, the number of participants that can be included in the study will depend on the resources available to the researcher. Sample sizes from previous research studies may inform the researcher's decisions, but they do not dictate the number of participants. Sponsoring organizations may have research guidelines, but these are unlikely to specify the number of participants required. The length of the interview schedule may affect the depth of data gathered from each participant, but it is unlikely to dictate the number of participants. The number of interviewers available on the research team may affect the amount of data that can be collected within a given time frame, but it is unlikely to dictate the number of participants.

Question 16

How does a researcher go about sampling for qualitative interviews (i.e.,what type of methodology is used)? How is the method of selection justified? What is the procedure for determining the number of individuals/cases to include in the sample?

Accepted Answer

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Question 17

Identify five different qualitative interview question types (Kvale)and provide an example for each one.

Accepted Answer

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Question 18

Describe five features of the qualitative interview that make it different from a normal everyday conversation.

Accepted Answer

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Question 19

What are five specific advantages of focus groups?

Accepted Answer

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Question 20

In a typical qualitative interview,
A) open-ended questions are used.
B) the interviewer shows interest in participants' responses and encourages elaboration.
C) the beginning and end are not clear.
D) the interviewer adjusts to the participants' norms and their use of language.
E) all of the above.

Accepted Answer

All of the above options are characteristic of a typical qualitative interview. Open-ended questions allow for a more in-depth and detailed response from participants. Showing interest in participants' responses and encouraging elaboration helps to build rapport and gain more information. The beginning and end of the interview may not be clearly defined as the conversation flows naturally. Interviewers adjust to participants' norms and their use of language to create a comfortable and inclusive environment.

Quiz 12: Qualitative Interviewing

Discuss the main features of focus groups under the following headings: the structure of the focus group,the role of the focus group facilitator,the number of groups in a focus group study,and focus group dynamics.

Which of the following terms is NOT relevant for qualitative interviews?

Describe the problems with validity and reliability in qualitative interviewing.What might help to overcome these problems?

Which of the following sets is an example of "contrasting informants"?

Professor Simon Salamander listens to the interview recordings from his participants and decides that he only wants to transcribe the parts that are most relevant to his research questions.Professor Salamander is engaging in

High school student Ricardo Francisco becomes an informant in a qualitative research study on youth gangs in Vancouver.This means that he

Specify and describe four features of qualitative interviews that would be considered an advantage over quantitative structured interviews.

Describe four characteristics of qualitative interviews.What are the specific features for each of these characteristics?

In what way does the qualitative interview differ from a friendly conversation?

What are five specific limitations of focus groups?

In qualitative interviewing, and sampling techniques are typically used.

What are four ideal characteristics of a good informant? Identify and describe each one.

Which of the following is an example of a "specifying question" in qualitative interviewing?

Interviewing subjects until the same general themes continue to emerge from the data and no new findings are being revealed is referred to as

The number of people interviewed in a qualitative study on the construction of bisexual identity is dictated mainly by

How does a researcher go about sampling for qualitative interviews (i.e.,what type of methodology is used)? How is the method of selection justified? What is the procedure for determining the number of individuals/cases to include in the sample?

Identify five different qualitative interview question types (Kvale)and provide an example for each one.

Describe five features of the qualitative interview that make it different from a normal everyday conversation.

What are five specific advantages of focus groups?

In a typical qualitative interview,