Chapter 26 Multiple choice questions

. The natural sciences have often been characterized as being positivist in epistemological orientation. Which of the following has been proposed as an alternative account?

Marxism

Subjectivism

Interpretivism

Realism

. How is it argued that qualitative research can have "empiricist overtones"?

Semi-structured interview schedules are used to quantify behavior.

There is an emphasis on direct observation of people and social settings.

Qualitative researchers prefer to conduct statistical analyses of their data.

It typically involves testing a clearly defined hypothesis.

. Why might we say that quantitative researchers also try to study social meanings?

Because their written reports usually refer to an interpretivist epistemology.

Because the method they use most is the in-depth interview.

Because surveys and questionnaires are used to examine attitudes and opinions.

Because they observe human behaviour in a laboratory.

. Why does Bryman argue that research methods can be seen as relatively "free-floating" or autonomous?

Because researchers often change their minds about who they interview

Because there is no longer any meaningful distinction between quantitative and qualitative research.

Because most qualitative researchers are free spirits.

Because there is no foreseeable connection between a researcher's choice of method and their epistemological/ ontological beliefs.

. Which of the following is not one of the contrasts that has been made to distinguish between quantitative and qualitative research?

Behaviour versus meaning

Numbers versus words

Traditional versus modern

Artificial versus natural

. What does the term "quasi-quantification" refer to?

The use of words, such as, "many", "some" or "often" in qualitative research.

A pseudo-ontology.

The approach researchers used to discuss their data in numerical terms.

The use of a survey instrument that has not been tested for inter-coder reliability

. Why is it argued that qualitative research may not really be "naturalistic"?

Because quantitative methods such as participation tend to take place in an environmentally friendly location.

Because methods such as a focus groups constitute artificial social settings.

Because participant observation has to be covert and so causes reactivity effects.

Because it is concerned with the social world rather than the supernatural world.

. What is "ethnostatistics"?

The study of the way statistics are constructed, interpreted and represented.

The study of the way ethnic minorities are represented in official statistics.

A new computer program designed to help lay people understand statistics.

An interpretivist approach made famous by the work of Garfinkel (1967).

. In what way does the thematic analysis of interview data suggest quantification?

It demands the use of computer programs like SPSS.

It is based on numbers rather than text.

It involves establishing the frequency of particular words, phrases or themes.

It is usually followed by a stage of rigorous statistical testing.

. How does quantification help the qualitative researcher avoid being accused of anecdotalism?

By providing a structure to a complex and disorganized dataset.

By allowing them to focus on extreme examples in the data and ignore the rest.

By making it more likely that official statistics will be included in their report.

By providing an indication of the prevalence of an usual or striking response.

Chapter 26 Multiple choice questions

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