Question 1

What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all quantitative approaches?

Accepted Answer

-Advantages of quantitative approaches-scientific/positivist:
-Objective facts are collected by value-free researchers.
-The pursuit of truth is achieved through the testing of causal hypotheses.
-Quantitative techniques allow for probability sampling (the issue of representativeness).
-Concepts can be measured in quantifiable terms (standardization).
-The results can often be replicated because the techniques lend themselves to checks of reliability and validity.
-Disadvantages of quantitative approaches-scientific/positivist:
-Topics of social science are not appropriate for purely "scientific" inquiry.
-Understanding the social world requires an in-depth understanding of the meaning that individuals attribute to their interactions and their surroundings-something that cannot be achieved by effectively reducing human behaviour to a series of "laws" and properties to be unearthed.

Question 2

What is one of the major advantages of experimental research compared to other quantitative approaches?
A) It is the only technique that allows for causation to be demonstrated.
B) It is possible to cover very large populations in a relatively simple way and in a straightforward manner.
C) It is often inexpensive.
D) It is nonreactive.
E) Data are often free and fairly easy to access.

Accepted Answer

Experimental research is the only quantitative approach that allows for a demonstration of cause and effect relationships between variables. Other approaches may only show correlations or associations between variables, but not necessarily which variable is causing a change in the other.

Question 3

What is one of the major advantages of field research compared to other qualitative approaches?
A) Participants in the study tend to feel empowered.
B) Participants can give accounts in their own words and unexpected responses are encouraged.
C) It's possible to make comparisons across time and space.
D) The researcher is able to gain a deep understanding of a group and its members.
E) Implied meanings in "text" situations can be revealed.

Accepted Answer

Field research allows the researcher to immerse themselves in the group they are studying and gain a thorough understanding of its members and their experiences. This depth of understanding is not always possible with other qualitative approaches, such as surveys or interviews, which may not provide the same level of insight into the subject being studied.

Question 4

What is one of the major advantages of survey research compared to other quantitative approaches?
A) It is the only technique that allows for causation to be demonstrated.
B) It is possible to cover very large populations in a relatively simple way and in a straightforward manner.
C) It is often inexpensive.
D) It is nonreactive.
E) Data are often free and fairly easy to access.

Accepted Answer

Survey research allows researchers to cover large populations in a relatively simple and straightforward way. Other quantitative approaches, such as experiments or quasi-experiments, often involve more complex procedures and do not allow for as large of a sample size. Additionally, survey research can be less expensive than some other quantitative approaches, such as experiments that require specialized equipment or personnel.

Question 5

What happens if,while using a mixed methods research design,a researcher obtains conflicting results in the qualitative and quantitative parts of a mixed methods study? What possibilities exist for a researcher if the results appear to be contradictory or do not agree with each other?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What happens if,while using a mixed methods...

Question 6

What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all qualitative approaches?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the major advantages and disadvantages...

Question 7

Which of the following statements most closely describes the term triangulation?
A) Using two different theoretical approaches in one research project
B) Displaying the final results of the research in a variety of ways, such as graphs, charts, tables, and diagrams
C) Gathering data primarily through the use of qualitative open-ended interviews but then coding the interviews so they can be used for statistical analysis
D) Using more than one qualitative or quantitative technique
E) Employing at least three different concepts in a single research question

Accepted Answer

Triangulation involves using more than one qualitative or quantitative technique to gather data. This can include using multiple methods of data collection, multiple sources of data, or multiple researchers or perspectives. The purpose of triangulation is often to increase the validity and reliability of the research findings by approaching the research question from different angles. None of the other answer choices accurately describe triangulation.

Question 8

What are the strengths and limitations of mixed methods research incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches? Do you think a researcher should strive to use mixed methods research? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the strengths and limitations of...

Question 9

Discuss the kinds of decisions a researcher must make in terms of sequential and concurrent data collection and analysis when designing a mixed methods study.What procedures must be followed?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the kinds of decisions a researcher...

Question 10

Compare and contrast the development of theory in mixed methods research.What determines how theory is generated in sequential mixed methods studies and in concurrent mixed methods studies?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast the development of theory...

Question 11

Identify two of the four major quantitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their advantages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify two of the four major quantitative...

Question 12

What is considered to be a principal advantage of using quantitative methods as an approach to doing social research?
A) It allows for the possibility of investigating how members of the social world understand their social experiences.
B) Concepts can be standardized.
C) It allows the researcher to become immersed in the people and situations he or she is studying.
D) The subjective experiences of the research participants can be studied and analyzed.
E) In quantitative research the deeper meanings that individuals attribute to social life can be revealed.

Accepted Answer

Quantitative methods allow for concepts to be standardized, which facilitates the comparison of findings across studies and the testing of hypotheses.

Question 13

Identify two of the four major quantitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their disadvantages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify two of the four major quantitative...

Question 14

________ approaches assume that facts are objective,that they can be collected by value-free researchers,and that the pursuit of truth can be achieved through the testing of causal hypotheses.
A) Explanatory
B) Positivist
C) Nonreactive
D) Qualitative
E) Survey-based

Accepted Answer

The traits mentioned in the question are all related to the positivist approach. Positivists believe that facts exist objectively, and can be observed and measured through research that is value-free and objective. They use the scientific method to test hypotheses and establish causal relationships.

Question 15

What is one of the major disadvantages of using field research compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?
A) The sample is often limited to university undergraduates.
B) Subjects' behaviour may change if they know they are being studied.
C) A fairly limited range of research questions can be addressed with this technique.
D) It can take the researcher a considerable amount of time to become acquainted with the data.
E) The conditions under which the research and data gathering take place are often artificial.

Accepted Answer

The major disadvantage of field research is that subjects may alter their behavior if they know they are being observed or studied. This is known as the Hawthorne Effect and can affect the validity of the data collected. The other options do not accurately represent major disadvantages of using field research.

Question 16

Identify two of the five major qualitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their advantages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify two of the five major qualitative...

Question 17

For which type of quantitative social science research is the "interview effect" most likely to be a problem?
A) Survey research
B) Nonreactive research
C) Qualitative interviewing
D) Quantitative content analysis
E) Field studies

Accepted Answer

The "interview effect" is most likely to be a problem in survey research, where the presence or behavior of the interviewer can influence the responses of participants.

Question 18

What is one of the major disadvantages of using existing statistics compared to other quantitative forms of data collection?
A) The sample is often limited to university undergraduates.
B) Interviewer effect can be an issue.
C) A fairly limited range of research questions can be addressed with this technique.
D) It can take the researcher a considerable amount of time to become acquainted with the data.
E) The conditions under which the research and data gathering take place are often artificial.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is one of the major disadvantages...

Question 19

What is one of the major advantages of using focus groups compared to other qualitative forms of data collection?
A) Participants tend to feel empowered.
B) Participants can give accounts in their own words and unexpected responses are encouraged.
C) It's possible to make comparisons across time and space.
D) The researcher is able to gain a deep understanding of a group and its members.
E) Implied meanings in "text" situations can be revealed.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is one of the major advantages...

Question 20

Identify two of the five major qualitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their disadvantages.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Identify two of the five major qualitative...

Quiz 16: Combining Methods in Social Science Research

What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all quantitative approaches?

What is one of the major advantages of experimental research compared to other quantitative approaches?

What is one of the major advantages of field research compared to other qualitative approaches?

What is one of the major advantages of survey research compared to other quantitative approaches?

What happens if,while using a mixed methods research design,a researcher obtains conflicting results in the qualitative and quantitative parts of a mixed methods study? What possibilities exist for a researcher if the results appear to be contradictory or do not agree with each other?

What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all qualitative approaches?

Which of the following statements most closely describes the term triangulation?

What are the strengths and limitations of mixed methods research incorporating both quantitative and qualitative approaches? Do you think a researcher should strive to use mixed methods research? Why or why not?

Discuss the kinds of decisions a researcher must make in terms of sequential and concurrent data collection and analysis when designing a mixed methods study.What procedures must be followed?

Compare and contrast the development of theory in mixed methods research.What determines how theory is generated in sequential mixed methods studies and in concurrent mixed methods studies?

Identify two of the four major quantitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their advantages.

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

Identify two of the four major quantitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their disadvantages.

________ approaches assume that facts are objective,that they can be collected by value-free researchers,and that the pursuit of truth can be achieved through the testing of causal hypotheses.

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

Identify two of the five major qualitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their advantages.

For which type of quantitative social science research is the "interview effect" most likely to be a problem?

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

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

Identify two of the five major qualitative approaches treated in your text and discuss their disadvantages.