intro to social research ch 10

List and describe the stages researchers must go through in order to conduct a truly qualitative field interview.

Answers should include mention of Kvale's seven stages: 1) Thematizing, 2) Designing, 3) Interviewing, 4) Transcribing, 5) Analyzing, 6) Verifying, 7) Reporting, and also provide an adequate definition for each step. You may opt to ask them to place them in the specific context of an example.

In comparison to other types of research, what are the major strengths and weaknesses of qualitative field research?

Answers should include the following ideas: Field research is not just a data collecting activity it is frequently a theory generating activity as well and has the following strengths:1) it is effective for studying subtle nuances in attitudes and behaviors, 2) it is effective for studying social processes over time, 3) it provides a depth of understanding, 4) it allows for flexibility since you can modify your research design at any time, and 5) it is relatively inexpensive. Finally, it tends to have greater validity than survey and experimental measurements. Its weaknesses include: 1) less reliability in measurement than survey and experimental research, and 2) it is an inappropriate technique for statistical descriptions of a large population.

What differentiates the case study from the extended case study model?

Answers should include the ideas that: 1) the case method can be both descriptive—as an indepth study of one case and explanatory—seeking to understand the "why" of something. Often case studies are idiographic. However, as with grounded theory, case studies can form the basis of nomothetic statements. Burawoy suggests that the extended case method attempts to discover flaws in theory so that they can be modified. Thus, extended case theorists enter the field with definite ideas about what they expect to find.

Select a topic. Describe how a complete participant and a complete observer might study that subject

Answers will vary. However, students should include reference to the fact that if the researchers assumes the complete participant role the subjects will not know that they are being studied and the researcher will participate as if he/she were another member of the group. Hence, ethical issues emerge. At the other extreme, if the researcher assumes the role of the complete observer he/she does not participate in the activities of the group. The group may or may not know that they are being studied.

All forms of field research involve participant observation. a. True b. False

F

Because the work of sociologists and journalists are different, they should not use the same interviewing techniques. a. True b. False

F

Cases studies focus on people or groups only. a. True b. False

F

Focus group participants are typically selected via probability samples. a. True b. False

F

In qualitative interviewing, interactions can only be done in a face-to-face or telephone interview context. a. True b. False

F

One of the advantages of field research is that is raises very few ethical concerns. a. True b. False

F

Qualitative field researchers must always participate in what they are studying. a. True b. False

F

Researchers who assume the role of the complete participant are unlikely to affect what they are studying. a. True b. False

F

The complete participant must always be a genuine member and participate in what he or she is studying. a. True b. False

F

Unstructured interviews are less appropriate for field research than structured interviews. a. True b. False

F

Your field notes should record what you know happened NOT what you think happened. a. True b. False

F

An "audit trail" has been recommended for qualitative researchers to document each point of decision or interpretation during the research project. a. True b. False

T

Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory. a. True b. False

T

Field research typically alternates between deduction and induction. a. True b. False

T

For Participant Action Researchers, access to information is equivalent to social power. a. True b. False

T

Qualitative field research differs from other forms of observation in that it is both a data-collecting and a theorygenerating activity. a. True b. False

T

Qualitative researchers should take notes and record events as soon as possible to ensure the greatest accuracy. a. True b. False

T

Specific methods do not link to specific paradigms. a. True b. False

T

The "Convert" is more likely to run the risk of "going native" than the "Martian." a. True b. False

T

The extended case method looks for all the ways in which observations conflict with existing theory. a. True b. False

T

___________ is an old tradition in qualitative research based on the assumption that an objective social reality exists and can be observed and reported accurately. a. Naturalism b. Ethnomethodology c. Grounded theory d. Case studies and the extended case method e. Institutional ethnography f. Participatory action research

a. Naturalism

Sara wanted to learn about battered women. She entered the world of a battered women's shelter and lived with the women in order to fully learn about the views of these women. She wanted to write a detailed and accurate description about the lives that the women reported. Which of the following approaches best describes Sara's research paradigm? a. Naturalist b. Ethnomethodology c. Grounded theory d. Institutional ethnography e. Participatory action research

a. Naturalist

Professor Jefferson is interested in studying the dynamics and processes of three local hospitals? Which element of social life is he studying? a. Organizations b. Groups and Cliques c. Settlements and Habitats d. Practices e. Subcultures and Lifestyles

a. Organizations

1. An example(s) of the complete participant role is(are): a. joining a sorority or fraternity to study initiation rituals without revealing your identity as a researcher. b. standing at a street corner and watching whether males or females are more likely to jay-walk. c. telling a motorcycle gang that you are a researcher and would like to ride with them for a year to understand their interaction patterns. d. being a newspaper reporter who interviews union workers to learn about recent strike efforts. e. all of these choices are examples of the complete participant role.

a. joining a sorority or fraternity to study initiation rituals without revealing your identity as a researcher.

The qualitative field research interview is typically: a. less structured. b. structured. c. similar to the survey interview. d. unstructured and similar to the survey interview. e. structured and similar to the survey interview.

a. less structured.

Jenny wants to do research that tells the stories of rape victims. She wants to tell "their stories" the way they "really are." Jenny is using a _____ paradigm. a. naturalist b. ethnomethodology c. grounded theory d. case study e. participating action research

a. naturalist

To examine the social interactions of online role-playing gamers, a relatively Pickup social phenomena, Kyoko developed a rough outline of what to look for before setting out on observation. This outline was intended to guide, but not specifically structure the observations. What approach did Kyoko use? a. Ethnomethodology b. Grounded theory c. Case study d. The extended case method e. Participatory action approach

b. Grounded theory

Which of the following is the best example of a breaching experiment? a. Walking into an elevator and turning to face the door. b. Opening an umbrella on a beautiful day. c. Closing an umbrella after the rain ends. d. Looking at the sky when birds fly by. e. None of these choices exemplify a breaching experiment.

b. Opening an umbrella on a beautiful day.

Which of the following statements is(are) FALSE about participatory action research (PAR)? a. The researcher's function is to serve as a resource to those being studied. b. Researcher's should define their subject's problems, define the desired remedies, and take the lead in helping subjects realize their aims. c. Advocates of PAR often believe that the distinction between the researcher and the researched should disappear. d. Advocates of PAR often believe that traditional research is elitist. e. All of the choices are TRUE statements about PAR.

b. Researcher's should define their subject's problems, define the desired remedies, and take the lead in helping subjects realize their aims.

In a complete qualitative interviewing process, a researcher will perform all but which of the following? a. Thematize b. Statistically analyze c. Transcribe d. Verify e. Design

b. Statistically analyze

Jessica is concerned with the problem of reactivity in her study of a local diet group. Which of the following is NOT one of her reactivity concerns? a. The members of the diet group might alter their behaviors because they know they are being studied. b. The members of the diet group might alter their lifestyles and behavior because they joined the group to lose weight. c. The members of the group might expel her from doing the research. d. The members of the group might alter their discussion of diet strategies because they know that she is studying the group. e. All of these choices concern Jessica because of her concern with reactivity.

b. The members of the diet group might alter their lifestyles and behavior because they joined the group to lose weight.

Which of the following is POOR advice for recording observations in the field? a. Don't trust your memory anymore than you have to. b. You must always take notes during the observation. c. You must take notes in stages. d. Advance preparation on recording anticipated observations better enables you to record unanticipated observations. e. All of these choices are good advice.

b. You must always take notes during the observation.

The difference between just a case study and the extended case method involves: a. units of analysis. b. testing social theory. c. difference in research paradigms. d. data analysis. e. interpretation of results.

b. testing social theory.

Which of the following is POOR advice for a qualitative field interviewer? a. Learn to listen, think, and talk almost at the same time. b. Be more interested than interesting. c. Do not deviate from the schedule of preestablished questions. d. Don't try to halt your respondent's line of discussion even if it's not on topic. e. All of these choices provide GOOD advice.

c. Do not deviate from the schedule of preestablished questions.

Michael is spending three months living in a commune doing participant observation in order to fully understand and document the lives of the people who reside there. What is the likely result of Michael's research? a. Structured interview b. Unstructured interview c. Ethnography d. Case study e. Extended case study

c. Ethnography

_____ is a study that focuses on giving detailed and accurate description rather than explanation. a. Ethnomethodology b. Naturalism c. Ethnography d. Grounded theory e. Case study

c. Ethnography

_____ combines a naturalist approach with a positivist concern for a "systematic set of procedures" in doing qualitative research. a. The extended case method b. Ethnomethodology c. Grounded theory d. Ethnographies e. All of these choices

c. Grounded theory

Researchers Glaser and Strauss have advocated that which part of a research study should be eliminated when following the tenets of grounded theory? a. Methodology b. Conclusion c. Literature Review d. Analysis/discussion e. Conclusion

c. Literature Review

Among the advantages of field research is(are) that it: a. yields precise descriptive statements about a large population. b. involves the uniform application of precise operational definitions. c. allows for the modification of research design. d. produces definitive conclusions. e. is an extremely reliable technique.

c. allows for the modification of research design.

In comparison to experiments and surveys, field research has: a. greater reliability and greater validity. b. greater reliability and less validity. c. less reliability and greater validity. d. less reliability and less validity. e. the same reliability and validity.

c. less reliability and greater validity.

An advantage(s) of field research is(are) that: a. it enables the researcher to draw statistical conclusions about the population. b. the researcher can control the variables under study. c. social processes can be studied over time. d. hypotheses can be rigorously tested. e. all of these choices are advantages of field research.

c. social processes can be studied over time.

Which of the following is not part of grounded theory? a. Analyses of patterns b. Analyses of themes c. Analyses of common categories d. All of these choices e. Analyses of patterns and analyses of themes

d. All of these choices

Which of the following is FALSE regarding qualitative field research? a. Field research is well suited to studying social processes over time. b. Field research is well suited to studying behaviors within their natural setting. c. Field research is well suited to studying attitudes within their natural setting. d. Field research is well suited for quantitative analysis. e. All of these choices are TRUE.

d. Field research is well suited for quantitative analysis

Which of the following is NOT a disadvantage of focus groups? a. Focus group moderators require special skills. b. Focus group data is difficult to analyze. c. Focus groups are often difficult to assemble. d. Focus groups allow for multiple viewpoints to be heard. e. Focus groups afford the researcher less control than individual interviews.

d. Focus groups allow for multiple viewpoints to be heard.

Jamie asks women about their personal experiences in the labor market in order to uncover the power relations that govern those experiences. What paradigm is Jamie using? a. Naturalism b. Ethnomethodology c. Grounded theory d. Institutional ethnography e. Participatory action research

d. Institutional ethnography

The paradigms associated with field research differ on: a. What is data? b. How should we collect data? c. How should we analyze data? d. all of these choices. e. Nothing, they answer questions similarly

d. all of these choices.

Grounded theory begins with _____. a. patterns b. hypotheses c. key variables d. data collection e. either patterns, hypothesis, key variables, or data collection

d. data collection

Professor Miller planned to tape six focus groups to examine citizens' attitudes toward park development. As a research methods student, you told Miller that an advantage of the focus group method is(are) that: a. moderators require little specialized skill. b. moderators easily control the focus group's discussion. c. data tapes are easily analyzed. d. high face validity. e. differences between the groups, should they occur, are easily explained.

d. high face validity.

Jennifer is interested in understanding the dynamics within an economically diverse high school. She interviews a wide variety of students, as well as the staff and faculty to understand how race has an effect on their education. Jennifer is using what sort of research paradigm? a. Participatory action research b. Ethnomethodology c. Ethnography d. Case study e. Institutional ethnography

e. Institutional ethnography

Dr. Fielding is interested in the stratification system in the United States and how it is perpetuated through time. Fielding decides to examine the experiences of minority students who seek college counseling in high school. He interviews minority students in four high schools to learn whether their personal experiences tell him something about stratification in the U.S. After interviewing the minority students Fielding interviews non-minority students, school administrators, guidance counselors, teachers, parents, and social workers at the same four high schools. Fielding is probably using a/an _____ approach. a. participatory action research b. ethnomethodology c. ethnography d. case study e. institutional ethnography

e. institutional ethnography

Professor Milne was preparing to do qualitative interviewing in a field research project. Milne knew that you were a research methods student and asked for your advice. You told Milne: a. try not to alter the specific wording of questions. b. try to use the same probes with the same wording for each respondent. c. try not to alter the sequence of questions. d. be sure to think up interesting things to say when the conversation lulls. e. to begin with a search of the literature.

e. to begin with a search of the literature.