Chapter 26

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 behaviour

• 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 the method they use most is the in-depth interview

• Because their written reports usually refer to an interpretivist epistemology

• 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 which method to use

• Because most qualitative researchers are Hippies who believe in free love

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

• Because there is no inevitable 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 like "many", "some" or "often" in qualitative research

• A poor attempt at statistical analysis

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

• The way scientists talk about their data in numerical terms to enhance the credibility of their findings

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

• Because participant observation has to be overt and so causes reactivity effects

• Because methods such as interviews and focus groups constitute artificial social settings

• Because quantitative methods such as structured observation tend to take place in more naturalistic environments

• Because it is concerned with the social world rather than the natural 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 allowing them to focus on extreme examples in the data and ignore the rest

• By providing a structure to an otherwise unstructured dataset

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

• By providing some idea of the prevalence of an unusual or striking response