Deck 13: Mixing and Comparing Methods

Question 1

Triangulation refers to which of the following?

A) the use of qualitative and quantitative methods to address a research question
B) an ethical issue associated with qualitative data
C) a statistical test used to determine causal validity
D) a type of process evaluation

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Quantitative methods are used most often in ______ oriented research and qualitative methods are often used in ______ oriented research.

A) inductively; inductively
B) inductively; deductively
C) deductively; inductively
D) deductively; deductively

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In a research study examining perception of safety on college campuses, a researcher is administering surveys at the same time she is conducting observations. Which type of design is she using?

A) embedded design
B) convergent parallel design
C) exploratory sequential design
D) transformative design

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A researcher is interested in determining the unique pathways of crime that female offenders experience as compared with male offenders in order to create more effective crime prevention programs for girls and women. The researcher approaches the project from a feminist perspective and collects qualitative and quantitative data. This is an example of ______.

A) embedded design
B) convergent parallel design
C) exploratory sequential design
D) transformative design

Question 5

In a research project, a researcher is administering a survey to a large sample but is also conducting a small number of focus groups. This is an example of ______.

A) transformative design
B) embedded design
C) exploratory sequential design
D) convergent parallel design

Question 6

A researcher conducts observations of juvenile gang members as they go about their everyday lives. Later, he asks juvenile gang members to complete a survey about the types of delinquency they can engage in. This is an example of ______.

A) convergent parallel design
B) embedded design
C) exploratory sequential design
D) transformative design

Question 7

A researcher plans to collect a series of quantitative and qualitative data and then use this data to inform later rounds of data collection. This is an example of ______.

A) multiphase design
B) transformative design
C) embedded design
D) exploratory sequential design

Question 8

The notation indicates which method is given priority?

A) Quantitative is given priority.
B) Qualitative is given priority.
C) Both quantitative and qualitative are given equal priority.
D) It cannot be determined.

Question 9

The notation indicates which method will be implemented first?

A) Both will be implemented at the same time.
B) Qualitative will be implemented first.
C) Quantitative will be implemented first.
D) It cannot be determined.

Question 10

The notation indicates which method will be implemented first?

A) Both will be implemented at the same time
B) Qualitative will be implemented first
C) Quantitative will be implemented first
D) It cannot be determined

Question 11

The notation indicates which method will be implemented second?

A) Both will be implemented at the same time
B) Qualitative will be implemented first
C) Quantitative will be implemented second
D) It cannot be determined

Question 12

All these are accurate statements from Testa and colleagues' research on rape EXCEPT which of the following?

A) This research was an example of an embedded design.
B) Quantitative data were collected first followed by the qualitative data.
C) Qualitative data were given priority.
D) Quantitative data were given priority.

Question 13

In his triangulated research on school security and discipline, Kupchik utilized which of the following methods?

A) covert participation, survey; historical analysis
B) observation, survey, interview
C) content analysis, interview, survey
D) observation, historical events research, focus groups

Question 14

Kupchik's study would be classified as using which design?

A) exploratory sequential design
B) transformative design
C) embedded design
D) convergent parallel design

Question 15

Which of the following is an accurate statement about Kupchik's research on school security and discipline?

A) School administrators perceived the police officers in the schools as being well-trained to deal with kids
B) Police involvement led to minor situations being handled by the criminal justice system in addition to being handled at the school level
C) Girls were more likely to report getting into trouble for rule violations than boys
D) Police advocated that minor issues at the school should be handled only at the school level and a criminal justice response was not warranted

Question 16

In her mixed methods research on American Indian homicide, Bachman utilized which of the following qualitative methods?

A) observation
B) intensive interviews
C) covert participation
D) focus group

Question 17

Bachman's research on American Indian homicide would be classified as relying on an exploratory sequential design because of which of the following?

A) Qualitative methods were used first and quantitative methods were used later.
B) Qualitative and quantitative methods were implemented at the same time.
C) The primary method was quantitative but it was supplemented with a qualitative component.
D) She approached the project from a social justice perspective.

Question 18

In the quantitative component of her triangulated research on American Indian homicide, Bachman found which of the following?

A) a negative relationship between social disorganization and the homicide rate
B) a positive relationship between social disorganization and the homicide rate
C) a negative relationship between community integration and the homicide rate
D) a positive relationship between community integration and the homicide rate

Question 19

Which of the following is an accurate summary of Testa and colleagues' research on rape?

A) Victims reported that alcohol consumption had impaired their judgment.
B) Victims reported that they had too much to drink and were unconscious or unable to give consent to intercourse.
C) Victims reported that alcohol consumption had not impaired their judgment.
D) Victims reported that they had been drinking but were able to give consent to intercourse.

Question 20

Which research designs test nomothetic causal hypotheses?

A) participant observation and survey
B) survey and intensive interviewing
C) experiment and survey
D) intensive interviewing and covert participation

Question 21

Which research design is best for maximizing generalizability?

A) participant observation
B) survey
C) experiment
D) intensive interviewing

Question 22

Which of the following research designs use an idiographic approach to explain a causal relationship?

A) complete observation and survey
B) participant observation and experiment
C) survey and experiment
D) intensive interviewing and participant observation

Question 23

Paradigm wars refer to which of the following?

A) disagreement over the use of positivist and constructivist/interpretivist philosophies
B) the decision to use an experimental or quasi-experimental design
C) the decision to implement a stakeholder or researcher orientation
D) the struggle to find qualitative data to use in secondary data analysis

Question 24

A researcher is conducting a meta-analysis on the mental health effects of solitary confinement. In this study, the unit of analysis is ______.

A) offenders in solitary confinement
B) offenders who were not in solitary confinement
C) previous studies on the effects of solitary confinement
D) prisons

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about meta-analysis?

A) It is technique for analyzing findings from different studies.
B) It is used when multiple studies have addressed the same research question.
C) It is a quantitative method.
D) Meta-analysis is often used to analyze studies using different methods or measuring different dependent variables.

Question 26

In meta-analysis research, the effect size refers to which of the following?

A) how much the dependent variable is affected by the independent variable
B) how widely read a study is
C) the number of different components used in a mixed methods research project
D) how generalizable research findings are

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT an accurate statement about meta-synthesis?

A) Eligibility criteria is less important in meta-synthesis.
B) Meta-synthesis is the analysis of findings from previous qualitative studies.
C) Meta-synthesis requires reinterpreting the aggregate data.
D) Meta-synthesis is a qualitative analytical technique.

Question 28

In their meta-synthesis of female drug dealers, Maher and Hudson found which of the following?

A) Females involved in the drug trade usually occupied more powerful roles than males.
B) Females involved in the drug trade usually had subordinate roles to males.
C) Females involved in the drug trade had equal roles as males.
D) Females became involved in the drug trade independent of their romantic relationships.

Question 29

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the findings from Ferguson et al.'s meta-analysis of the effectiveness of anti-bullying programs?

A) Anti-bullying programs lead to a substantial decrease (i.e., 25%-30%) in reported bullying.
B) Anti-bullying programs lead to a slight increase in reported bullying.
C) Anti-bullying programs lead to a slight decrease in reported bullying.
D) There is no statistical relationship between anti-bullying programs and reported bullying.

Question 30

Which of the following is an accurate statement about the findings from Lundahl, Nimer, and Parsons's meta-analysis of the effectiveness of parent training programs in preventing child abuse?

A) Parent training programs lead to an increase in child abuse.
B) Programs with training at the home and office had a greater impact than programs with training limited to a single site.
C) Programs with home visitors were less effective than programs without home visitors.
D) There is no statistical relationship between parent training programs and child abuse.

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a legitimate reason for using mixed methods?

A) the hope that one of the methods will produce a desired result
B) to take advantage of the strengths of each methodological approach
C) to acquire additional insights into the phenomenon that cannot be obtained by the primary method
D) to investigate intersubjective reality

Question 32

A researcher is interested in conducting a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of increased foot patrols. All the following are legitimate reasons to omit a study from a meta-analysis EXCEPT ______.

A) it is a qualitative study
B) the study found that increased foot patrols were not effective
C) the research methods are much different than those of the included studies
D) it is an unpublished dissertation and the researcher wants to include only published reports

Question 33

A researcher is most interested in the consequences of a particular situation. She subscribes to which philosophy?

A) positivist
B) pragmatist
C) constructivist
D) transcendentalist

Question 34

Which of the following type of research method did Victor Rios (2011) use in his ethnographic study of young men in Oakland, California?

A) participant observation
B) focus groups
C) intensive interviews
D) all of these

Question 35

Which of the following research methods are primarily used in inductively oriented research?

A) quantitative research
B) survey research
C) qualitative research
D) none of these

Question 36

Where is the term triangulation derived from?

A) land surveying
B) marketing analysis
C) budget forecasting
D) none of these

Question 37

Which of the following philosophical orientations believes that knowledge comes from taking action and learning from the outcomes?

A) pragmatism
B) constructivist
C) Darwinism
D) none of these

Question 38

Which of the following is a type of mixed-methods research design?

A) embedded design
B) multiphase design
C) convergent parallel design
D) all of these

Question 39

The use of mixed methods research has decreased over the last 25 years.

Question 40

Some researchers object to mixed methods research.

Question 41

It always makes sense to mix methods in a research project.

Question 42

A researcher who accepts a constructivist philosophy believes that the reality experienced by various people differs because reality only exists in relation to each individual's unique perspective.

Question 43

When it is not clear what concepts would help to explain a phenomenon, it is best to use quantitative methods.

Question 44

Meta-analysis can only be used when a sizable number of similar studies have been conducted.

Question 45

Quantitative methods are preferred when investigating subjective reality.

Question 46

Embedded design can be either concurrent or sequential.

Question 47

A mixed methods project is automatically perceived as being more valid than a single methods project.

Question 48

Experiments are designed to ensure causal validity.

Question 49

A quasi-experiment can be based on survey data.

Question 50

The meta-analytic approach reduces generalizability.

Question 51

The shifting role of a researcher in a mixed methods project can lead to ethical issues.

Question 52

In an explanatory sequential design, the qualitative method is implemented first.

Question 53

The transformative design is unique because it uses a theoretical perspective with a social justice focus.

Question 54

In an embedded design, the qualitative and quantitative components are implemented simultaneously.

Question 55

Mixed methods research can strengthen the project's design by enhancing measurement validity, generalizability, causal validity, or authenticity.

Question 56

The choice of a data collection method should be guided by whichever method is easiest to collect the data.

Question 57

Choosing the appropriate data collection methods should be informed by consideration of the research problem, opportunities and resources, prior research, philosophical commitments, and research goals.

Question 58

What are the reasons that researchers use mixed methods?

Question 59

You are interested in conducting a project with mixed methods. What philosophical considerations will you need to address before moving forward?

Question 60

Describe a research question that could be examined with an explanatory mixed methods design.

Question 61

Describe a mixed methods research project using a transformative design.

Question 62

Propose a study in which you will perform a meta-analysis.

Question 63

What are the methodological strengths and limitations of meta-analysis?

Question 64

Propose a project with a multiphase design.

Question 65

Propose a study in which you will use meta-synthesis.

Question 66

Imagine that a colleague tells you that she would like to conduct a mixed-methods project. What advice would you give her?

Question 67

What ethical considerations should researchers embarking on a mixed methods project be aware of?

Question 68

Define mixed methods research based on the definition provided by the National Institute of Health's Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.

Question 69

Identify several practical questions you should consider before you decide to use mixed methods.

Question 70

Compare and contrast the three general research methods (experiments, surveys, and participant observation and interviewing).

Question 71

Describe the definition and purpose of a meta-analysis.

Question 72

Describe the eligibility criteria for including studies in a meta-analysis according to Lipsey and Wilson (2001).