Quiz 18: The Nature of Qualitative Research

Which of the following is more likely to be found in a qualitative study compared to other methods?

• A description of the patterns of interaction among the members of a group

• A description of the skills of the members of a group

• An analysis of group productivity

• A description of group attitudes toward various issues

Qualitative data are least likely to be collected by:

• photographs

• diaries

• questionnaires

• official records

Which is not a reason a biographical study is hard to do?

• the researcher must understand the historical period

• the researcher must remain outside the account

• the researcher must deal with a lot of information

• the researcher must identify special life events

The unique perceptions of individuals are most likely to be viewed by qualitative researchers as:

• undesirable and unreliable sources of data

• useful for illustrating the results of a study

• irrelevant to the purposes of the study

• an essential part of an investigation

Hypotheses in qualitative research usually:

• emerge as the study progresses

• are stated at the outset

• are irrelevant

• are nondirectional

Hypothesis generation is a part of:

• Qualitative methods

• Quantitative methods

Flexibility is a part of:

• Qualitative methods

• Quantitative methods

In qualitative research differences among types of purposive sample are based on differences in:

• individual variability

• timing during the study

• representativeness

• all of the above

In qualitative research, the role of the researcher is to:

• reduce information to numerical form

• become highly familiar with the context of the study

• develop instruments for data collection

• carry out statistical analyses

Hypothesis verification is a part of:

• Quantitative methods

• Qualitative methods