Multiple choice questions
Question 1
Which of the following is a method that is commonly used in qualitative research?
a) Self-completion questionnaires
b) Surveys
c) Ethnography
d) Structured observation
Question 2
What is meant by the term "grounded theory"?
a) Theories should be tested by rigorous scientific experiments
b) As a social researcher, it is important to keep your feet on the ground
c) Theories should be grounded in political values and biases
d) Theoretical ideas and concepts should emerge from the data
Question 3
A sensitizing concept is one that:
a) Provides general guidance for more flexible research
b) Imposes a predetermined theoretical model on the social world
c) Helps the researcher to investigate sensitive issues
d) Allows the researcher to measure very small changes in a variable
Question 4
Which of the following is not a component of Guba & Lincoln's criterion, "trustworthiness"?
a) Transferability
b) Measurability
c) Dependability
d) Credibility
Question 5
Respondent validation is the process by which:
a) The validity of an interview schedule can be measured
b) Researchers ask their participants to comment on an account of the findings
c) The problem of low response rates to a survey can be overcome
d) Participants collaborate with the researcher to design the research
Question 6
Why do qualitative researchers like to give detailed descriptions of social settings?
a) To provide a contextual understanding of social behaviour
b) Because once they have left the field, it is difficult to remember what happened
c) So that they can compare their observations as a test of reliability
d) Because they do not believe in going beyond the level of description
Question 7
The flexibility and limited structure of qualitative research designs is an advantage because:
a) The researcher does not impose any predetermined formats on the social world
b) It allows for unexpected results to emerge from the data
c) The researcher can adapt their theories and methods as the project unfolds
d) All of the above
Question 8
Which of the following is not a criticism of qualitative research?
a) The studies are difficult to replicate
b) There is a lack of transparency
c) The approach is too rigid and inflexible
d) The accounts are too subjective and impressionistic
Question 9
Which of the following is not a contrast between quantitative and qualitative research?
a) Distance vs. proximity of researcher to participants
b) Generalization vs. contextual understanding
c) Hard, reliable data vs. rich, deep data
d) Interpretivist vs. feminist
Question 10
Why has qualitative research been seen to have an affinity with feminism?
a) It allows women's voices to be heard, rather than objectifying and exploiting them
b) It has always been carried out by female sociologists
c) It allows the researcher to control variables and suppress women's voices
d) It claims to be value free and non-political.