Verified Test Bank Chapter.11 Qualitative Data Analysis

Chapter 11

1. Qualitative data analysis focuses on text instead of numbers.

a. True

b. False

2. Qualitative researchers may have a perception that views text as an interpretation that can never be judged true or false.

a. True

b. False

3. Qualitative data analysts give priority to measures and hypotheses.

a. True

b. False

4. Qualitative data analysis is an iterative process, involving progressive focusing to gradually refine the focus of the study.

a. True

b. False

5. Qualitative data analysts should never read text literally.

a. True

b. False

6. A typical research question in qualitative data analysis is explanatory.

a. True

b. False

7. Qualitative analysts focus on the variables instead of the case.

a. True

b. False

8. To read interpretively, a reseacher must focus on how his or her own orientation shapes the research.

a. True

b. False

9. The data for a qualitative study may be jottings, field notes, and text transcribed from audiotapes.

a. True

b. False

10. Concepts and analytic insights are usually derived from field notes and interviews after the observation period has ended.

a. True

b. False

11. Although there are no standards for evaluating validity of qualitative research, its authenticity can be assessed.

a. True

b. False

12. Spontaneous statements made by informants in a qualitative study are more authentic than those made in response to a researcher’s questions.

a. True

b. False

13. Tacit knowledge is verbal explanations made by subjects in a qualitative study.

a. True

b. False

14. Confidence in the conclusions from a field research study is also strengthened by an honest and informative account about how the researcher interacted with subjects in the field.

a. True

b. False

15. Peer debriefing involves going to friends of the participants to receive feedback about the findings and interpretatons.

a. True

b. False

16. Member checking involves seeking input from colleagues about the findings and interpretations.

a. True

b. False

17. Triangulation involves coming at different aspects of the reseaech from multiple sources.

a. True

b. False

18. To conduct a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), a researcher seeks to identify multiple pathways to a specific outcome.

a. True

b. False

19. Narrative analysis codes the narrative as a whole, rather than coding different elements within the narrative.

a. True

b. False

20. The goal of grounded theory is to disprove deductive hypotheses.

a. True

b. False

21. Content analysis tends to focus on the qualitative aspects of texts

a. True

b. False

22. The first step of a content analysis is to identify a population of documents or other textual sources for study.

a. True

b. False

23. Conversation analysis involves detailed analyses of conversational interactions.

a. True

b. False

24. Meta-synthesis is a way of analyzing multipe qualitative studies on a particular topic.

a. True

b. False

25. Progressive focusing involves:

a. Refining the study focus by interacting with data during the study period.

b. Using inductive methods to generate general propositions.

c. Reputational methods to determine informal leadership in a natural setting.

d. Coding and then recoding qualitative data in electronic (computerized) format.

e. The process by which a person selects a field site.

26. There are three ways to read any text for analysis:

a. Ethically, emically, and reflexively

b. Literally, reflexively, and interpretively

c. Interpretively, objectively, and subjectively

d. Intersubjectively, objectively, and subjectively

e. Tacitly, ethically, and emically

27. If a researcher believes that the text can never be judged to be true or false, the researcher has what type of perspectice?

a. Emic

b. Tacit

c. Hermeneutic

d. Analytic

e. Progressive

28. To interpret text literally, what must a researcher focus on?

a. How his or her orientation shapes research

b. How meaning is constructed in text

c. The subtext or implied meaning

d. Actual content and form

e. Frequency of certain words

29. To provide a sense of what it is like to experience a setting from the standpoint of natural actors, qualitative analysts use:

a. Tacit knowledge.

b. Grounded theory.

c. Etic focus.

d. Content analysis.

e. Thick description.

30. Although the volume of data collected in qualitative analysis can overwhelm an inexperienced researcher, Engel and Schutt recommend which of the following to keep control of your data?

a. Discard unused data after the conceptualization stage

b. Maintain a disciplined transcription schedule

c. Hire professional transcribers

d. Review field notes and transcriptions only after the observation period has finished

e. Keep personal feelings and impressions separate from field notes

31. In qualitative analysis, the first analytic step is:

a. Documentation.

b. Conceptualization.

c. Coding.

d. Categorizing.

e. Authenticating.

32. The “centerpiece” of the qualitative analysis process is:

a. Reflexivity.

b. Holism.

c. Examining relationships.

d. Documentation.

e. The role of the researcher.

33. Examining relationships between concepts is important in qualitative analysis because it allows the researcher to:

a. Generalize findings.

b. Validate findings.

c. Authenticate findings.

d. Move from description to explanation.

e. Identify key variables for future research.

34. Tacit knowledge is best defined as:

a. Initial responses to observations, made when analyzing field notes.

b. Information that key informants deliberately withhold from intensive interviews.

c. Careful considerations of the role of the qualitative researcher in influencing the field site.

d. Hypotheses taken from field research that can be tested in future research.

e. Largely unarticulated, contextual understandings of social processes.

35. A qualtiative researcher receives feedback about the results and interpretations from colleagues is a form of:

a. Tacit knowledge.

b. Peer debriefing.

c. Member checking.

d. Processing information.

36. A qualitative researcher seeks input from participants about the findings and interprations is a form of:

a. Tacit knowledge.

b. Peer debriefing.

c. Member checking.

d. Processing information.

37. The goal of qualitative comparative analysis is to do which of the following?

a. Identify different pathways that lead to an outcome of interest

b. Use ethnographic data from two or more sources

c. Identify common themes among actors in a single setting

d. Authenticate conclusions derived from one setting in another setting

e. Reduce the artificiality created by the presence of a researcher

38. A study of novels of social protest found four different types of oppressive themes predominated. This study is most likely:

a. An oral history.

b. A textual experiment.

c. A content analysis.

d. A narrative analysis.

e. A qualitative comparative analysis.

39. Grounded theory requires analysts to:

a. Induce theory from observations.

b. Test hypotheses.

c. Generate hypotheses from theories.

d. Chart conceptual connections.

e. Spend long periods in the field.

40. Research M found that in a survey of 300 print advertisements in the top five selling magazines in the United States, more than 60 percent featured women in sexually suggestive poses. What is the unit of analysis in this study?

a. Magazines

b. United States

c. Women

d. Poses

e. Print advertisements

41. The first step in a content analysis is to:

a. Identify a population of documents or other textual sources.

b. Determine the units of analysis.

c. Design coding procedures for the variables to be measured.

d. Test and refine coding procedures.

e. Collect data.

42. How does one assess the reliability of codes in a content analysis?

a. Through progressive focusing

b. Comparing different coders’ codes for the same variables

c. Programming computers to do word count

d. Through construct validity

e. Develop a coding scheme

43. One important goal of qualitative analysis is to inductively build up a systematic theory that is based on observations. This type of theory is known as:

a. Pseudo-inductive theory.

b. Grounded theory.

c. Empirical theory.

d. Iterative theory.

e. Observational theory.

44. Which of the following is FALSE regarding computer-assisted qualitative data analysis?

a. Most programs allow multiple codes to be assigned to text.

b. Most programs can generate the frequencies of specified codes.

c. Most programs can assign codes based on key words.

d. Most programs can allow you to revise codes.

e. Most programs can identify how context changes word use.

45. Content analysis is:

a. A systematic method of analyzing text.

b. A methodological version of survey research.

c. A summary of field notes.

d. The analysis of the substance of theories.

e. The prediction of population change.

46. In one proposed study, a researcher plans to analyze political opinions of letters to the editor in the New York Times. His research is an example of:

a. Oral history.

b. Demographic analysis.

c. Ethnomethodology.

d. Grounded theory.

e. Content analysis.

47. A researcher examined how social work interns introduced themselves to potential clients. This type of research is probably:

a. Narrative analysis.

b. Ethnnomethodology.

c. Grounded theory.

d. Conversation analysis.

e. Content analysis.

48. A conversation analyst will examine all but which one of the following?

a. Length of a pause

b. A speaker taking an in-breath

c. Nonverbal actions

d. Cutting off of words

e. All of the above will be examined

49. One of the main problems with content analysis is:

a. Developing sociological hypotheses.

b. Lack of corroborating evidence.

c. Developing reliable coding procedures.

d. Gaps in the material.

e. Failure to consider other sources of data.

50. Which of the following is NOT useful for assessing the quality of qualitative analysis?

a. Does the analysis illuminate the phenomenon as a lived experience?

b. Is the analysis thickly contextualized?

c. Does the study produce generalizable findings?

d. Is the study historically and relationally grounded?

e. Does the researcher describe the research process?

51. Topics for concern regarding ethics in qualitative data analysis include all of the following EXCEPT:

a. Privacy

b. Confidentiality.

c. Compensation.

d. Anonymity.

e. Research integrity.

52. Which of the following is NOT a popular program used by social work researchers in order to analyze texts such as notes, documents, and interview transcripts?

a. HyperRESEARCH

b. QSR NVivo

b. ATLAS.ti

d. TEXT transfer

e. All of the above are popular programs

53. A researcher has concerns about having a duty to help his or her findings to be used appropriately. This ethical concern focuses on:

a. Research integrity and quality.

b. Ownership of data and conclusions.

c. Intervention and avocacy.

d. Privacy, confidentiality and anonymity.

e. Use and misuse of results.

54. How does a qualitative researcher examine how his or her role in the research may alter findings and interpretations? Also explain how a qualitative researcher reports on his or her role.

Correct answer.

Qualitative data analysts display real sensitivity to how a social situation or process is interpreted from a particular background and set of values and not simply based on the situation itself. Researchers must be reflexive and document an account of how they interacted with subjects in the field.

55. Describe grounded theory. How does it compare to deductive research?

Correct answer.

Grounded theory is a systematic theory developed inductively, based on observations that are summarized into conceptual categories, reevaluated in the research setting, and gradually refined and linked to other conceptual categories. It compares to deductive research since grounded theory is built off of an exploratory research question and subsequent observations in the field.

56. Contrast conversation analysis with narrative analysis.

Correct answer.

Conversation analysis is a specific qualitative method for analyzing the sequential organization and details of conversation.

Narrative analysis is a form of qualitative analysis in which the analyst focuses on how respondents impose order on the flow of experience in their lives and thus make sense of events and actions in which they have participated. “Unlike conversation analysis, which focuses attention on moment-by-moment interchange, narrative analysis seeks to put together the ‘big picture’ about experiences or events as the participants understand them.”

57. What ethical considerations from a social work perspective should be taken into account when analyzing qualitative data? Give an example of each.

Correct answer but will vary.

Privacy, confidentiality, and anonymity—it can be difficult to present a rich description in a case study while at the same time not identifying the setting. It can be easy for participants in the study to identify each other in a qualitative description, even if outsiders cannot. Qualitative researchers should negotiate with participants early in the study the approach that will be taken to protect privacy and maintain confidentiality. Intervention and advocacy—maintaining what is called “guilty knowledge” may force the researcher to suppress some parts of the analysis so as not to disclose the wrongful behavior, but presenting “what really happened” in a report may prevent ongoing access and violate understandings with participant. Research integrity and quality—real analyses have real consequences, so you owe it to yourself and those you study to adhere strictly to the analysis methods that you believe will produce authentic, valid conclusions. Ownership of data and conclusions—these concerns arise in any social research with participants in the setting studied make conflicts of interest between different stakeholders that are much more difficult to resolve. Use and misuse of results—it is prudent to develop understandings early in the project with all major stakeholders that specify what actions will be taken to encourage appropriate use of project results and to respond to what is considered misuse of these results

58. Explain how qualitative data analysis differs from quantitative data analysis.

Correct Answer.

Qualitative research focuses on meanings rather than on quantifiable phenomena. It collects a large amount of data on a few cases rather than a few data on many cases. Qualitative research studies are in depth and detail, without categories or directions, rather than emphasis on analyses and categories determined in advance. It requires the conception of the researcher as an “instrument,” rather than as the designer of objective instruments to measure particular variables. Qualitative research is sensitive to context rather than seeking universal generalizations. It pays attention to the impact of the researcher’s and others’ values on the course of the analysis rather than presuming the possibility of value-free inquiry. Qualitative research uses rich description of the world rather than the measurement of specific variables.

59. How does a qualitative researcher examine how his or her role in the research may alter findings and interpretations? Also explain how a qualitative researcher reports on his or her role.

Correct answer.

Qualitative data analysts display real sensitivity to how a social situation or process is interpreted from a particular background and set of values and not simply based on the situation itself. Researchers must be reflexive and document an account of how they interacted with subjects in the field.

60. What are the advantages of using computer programs to assist in qualitative analysis? Generally outline how these programs operate and explain how they are designed to facilitate analysis and reporting of qualitative data.

Correct answer.

Programs designed for qualitative data can speed up the analysis process, make it easier for researchers to experiment with different codes, test different hypotheses about relationships, and facilitate diagrams of emerging theories and preparation of research reports. The most popular programs used by social scientists are HyperRESEARCH, QSR NVivo, and ATLAS.ti. Text preparation begins with typing or scanning text in a word processor or, with NVivo, directly into the program’s rich text editor. NVivo will create or import a rich text file; coding the text involves categorizing particular text segments. Each program allows you to assign a code to any segment of text. Coding is not a one-time-only or one-code-only procedure. Each program allows you to be inductive and holistic in coding since you can revise codes, assign multiple codes, and link your comments to text segments. Analysis focuses on reviewing cases or text segments with similar codes and examining relationships among different codes. Reports from each program can include text to illustrate the cases, codes, and relationships that you specify.

61. Propose a content analysis dealing with sexual behavior on television. Be certain that you identify your population and unit of analysis as well as designing a preliminary coding scheme.