Qualitative Sample Paper

A _____ approach tests theory or a hypothesis against data, while a _____ approach generates theory directly out of the data.

• Ontological, epistemological

• Epistemological, ontological

• Inductive, deductive

• Deductive, inductive

Which of the following is a characteristic of qualitative research that affects how a researcher approaches data analysis?

• There is no single way to gain understanding of phenomena

• Reality is described with language that potentially has different semantic meanings for the researcher and participants

• There are many ways to report data

• All of the above

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of qualitative data?

• Thick, rich descriptions

• Concise and succinct

•  Voluminous

• Unorganized

The ongoing questioning of one's place and power relations within the research process is called _____.

• Theory

• Methodology

• Holism

• Reflexivity

• Epistemology

_____ research seeks to investigate an area that has been under-researched with preliminary data that helps shape the direction for future research.

• Descriptive

• Exploratory

• Explanatory

• Positivist

Research questions in qualitative studies typically begin with which of the following words?

• Why

• How

• What

• All of the above

Qualitative researchers seek to analyse which of the following?

• Numerical data derived from the frequency of particular behaviours

• Statistical associations between variables

• The social meaning people attribute to their experiences and circumstances

• All of the above

The purpose of qualitative data analysis is to...

• Bring order and understanding to the data

• Establish cause-and-effect relationships

• Manipulate the data

• Triangulate

Constant comparison, one of the three main strategies used to analyze qualitative data, is defined as a process...

• Comparing codes and concepts of data with those already identified to identify their distinctive characteristics

• Related to the use of triangulation to establish the credibility of results

• Concerned with the development and testing of a theory

• Examining discrepant, contradictory cases for meaning

Which of the following best describes qualitative data analysis?

• It is begun after all data has been collected

• It is an ongoing, cyclic process integrated into all phases of research

• It is an awkward, haphazard process

• It builds from abstraction to specific, concrete examples