Deck 9: Qualitative Data Analysis

Question 1

Which of the following studies is the least likely to have been developed using selective coding?

A)A study that finds that posting a personal web site is an imaginary extension of self.
B)A study that finds that self-directed seniors tend to be technology optimists who adopt the internet, leading to heavy or light use.
C)A study that finds that an online community of Mac users had several elements of religious devotion among its members.
D)A study that finds that immigrants buy products from their own countries to feel a connection to the land of their birth.
E)A study that finds that parents push their children in those areas where they were themselves not very successful.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true regarding the role of tabulation?

A)The data collected in qualitative research is similar to survey data.
B)Frequency of mention is a reliable measure of research importance.
C)Counting responses can keep researchers honest by providing a counterweight to biases they may bring to the analysis.
D)Analysis of co-occurrence of themes can be misleading.
E)"Fuzzy numerical qualifiers" reduce the validity and reliability of the study.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Linda has been assigned to do a qualitative study of people's online shopping behavior. Because of a very tight budget situation, she will have to conduct this study on her own, without any help or assistance of a co-researcher. Given this constraint, she cannot do / establish:

A)iteration.
B)cross-researcher reliability.
C)tabulation.
D)emic validity.
E)integration.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

After observing a family eating dessert after their meals, an ethnographer records their behavior in her journal. She then asks the head of the family to read her description to verify that the story she was telling was accurate. In doing this, the ethnographer is involved in:

A)member checking.
B)thick description.
C)data categorization.
D)memo check back.
E)respondent courtesy check.

Question 5

Which of the following relationships is / are recursive?

A)Job satisfaction increases job performance which in turn increases leadership opportunities within a company.
B)Job satisfaction decreases job performance which in turn decreases leadership opportunities within a company.
C)Job satisfaction increases job performance which in turn increases leadership opportunities which in turn increases stress which in turn decreases job satisfaction.
D)Advertising leads to sales growth which leads to greater market power.
E)Advertising leads to sales growth which leads to greater market power which leads to greater brand recognition.

Question 6

In an early stage of developing grounded theory, a researcher develops a theory that is largely incorrect. Which of the following processes is intended to protect researchers from falling victims to early biases and preexisting prejudices?

A)Negative case analysis
B)Memoing
C)Thick description
D)Selective coding
E)Comparison

Question 7

A researcher is in the process of reading transcripts from a field study and developing categories to put different responses in. When similar responses are encountered, they are coded similarly. The process this researcher is engaged in is called:

A)data reduction.
B)data assimilation.
C)data display.
D)data verification.
E)data congruence.

Question 8

Which of the following statements is incorrect regarding comparison?

A)Comparison first occurs as researchers identify categories.
B)Comparison processes can be used to understand the differences and similarities between two constructs of interest.
C)Comparisons cannot be made between different kinds of informants.
D)Comparisons take place during the data reduction step of qualitative data analysis.
E)Comparison can involve the use of a control group.

Question 9

While preparing a data display for a qualitative study, a researcher displays consumers' taxonomies of products. This display can be most effectively shown with the help of a:

A)causal diagram.
B)tree display.
C)consensus map.
D)checklist.
E)recursive diagram.

Question 10

Which of the following are indicators of reliability?

A)The findings are stable, repeatable, and generalizable.
B)The findings are repeatable, dynamic, and directive.
C)The findings are universal, measurable, and representative.
D)The findings are representative, linear, and dynamic.
E)The findings are measurable, stable, and directive.

Question 11

Which of the following statements is false about the process of iteration?

A)The iterative process may uncover issues that were previously undiscovered.
B)The iterative process must occur before integration.
C)The iterative process may involve additional data collection.
D)An important part of the iterative process is memoing.
E)One should deliberately look for contradictory evidence during the iterative process.

Question 12

While preparing a data display for a qualitative study, a researcher draws a picture that shows the collective connections that informants make between concepts and ideas. This is an example of a:

A)causal diagram.
B)tree display.
C)consensus map.
D)checklist.
E)recursive diagram.

Question 13

Instead of outlining a hypothesis, a researcher decides to look at the data and then come up with a hypothesized relationship. This process of deducing themes and patterns as one goes through the data is indicative of a(n):

A)predictive analysis.
B)deductive analysis.
C)inductive analysis.
D)selective analysis.
E)reductive analysis.

Question 14

A researcher is interested in establishing emic validity of her findings. In order to do so, she must show that:

A)similar results have been reported by others working independently on the problem.
B)similar results can be obtained if the study were to be repeated.
C)key members of the group included in her study agreed with the findings of her study.
D)the findings of her study are generalizable.
E)the research methodology of her study complies with the necessary research standards.

Question 15

Which of the following is the least likely to be a thick description?

A)A description based on observation of a small number of individuals over an extended time period.
B)A description based on survey data collected from a large sample of 2,000 respondents.
C)A description that connects behavior to the larger social context in which it occurs.
D)A description of the consumption behavior for Pepsi in the social context of beverages consumed in schools.
E)A description of how people use personal hygiene products based upon an in-home ethnographic study.

Question 16

After each interview, a researcher writes down her thoughts and feelings so that she could use those notes later when she does her qualitative data analysis. This process of writing notes is called:

A)negative case analysis.
B)memoing.
C)thick description.
D)tabulation.
E)note making.

Question 17

All of the following are valid means of triangulation, EXCEPT:

A)using multiple methods of data collection.
B)using multiple data sets.
C)having multiple researchers analyze the data.
D)collecting data in different time periods.
E)analyzing data at two different time periods.

Question 18

Which of the following statements does NOT apply to qualitative data?

A)It employs member checking.
B)It is more textual in nature.
C)Its goal is to understand a phenomenon instead of quantifying the magnitude of relationships.
D)The analysis of such data is non-iterative.
E)The analysis is largely inductive.

Question 19

Qualitative research would be preferred over quantitative research in all of the following situations, EXCEPT:

A)when the research objective is to gain an insight into an issue or a problem.
B)when the research objective is to determine the magnitude of a response.
C)when the research objective is to understand a psychoanalytical phenomenon.
D)when the research objective is to understand a cultural phenomenon.
E)when the research objective is to collect textual instead of numerical data relevant to the research issue.

Question 20

Which of the following statements is incorrect about categorization and coding in the data reduction step of qualitative data analysis?

A)Categories may be labeled with either names or code numbers.
B)Categories may be determined before the study itself.
C)The same sections of data may be categorized in multiple ways.
D)Some portions of a transcript may not be coded at all.
E)Once established categories cannot be modified as data analysis continues.

Question 21

Comparisons can be used to differentiate between not only two constructs but also between two or more kinds of respondents.

Question 22

Which of the following statements about verbatims is incorrect?

A)One can use video verbatims in live presentations.
B)Researchers should select verbatims that are more memorable.
C)Verbatims should be used judiciously in a report.
D)Verbatims can be used to underscore important points.
E)Researchers should select verbatims that reveal patterns in data.

Question 23

Focus group and in-depth interview data typically produce thick descriptions.

Question 24

In qualitative data analysis, it is common to use visual displays to summarize data.

Question 25

In data reduction, categories are final once established and cannot be modified as data analysis continues.

Question 26

Qualitative researchers may enter any of their observations and notes into the data set.

Question 27

While doing data reduction, a researcher assigns a code to a particular paragraph in a transcript. Once that code has been assigned, the researcher can go ahead and assign another (additional) code to the same paragraph if needed.

Question 28

Even though the iterative and negative case analyses are started in the data reduction stage, they are continued in later stages of the qualitative data analysis.

Question 29

Iteration is the process through which researchers build theory that is grounded, or based on the data collected.

Question 30

All of the following are threats to drawing credible conclusions in qualitative analysis, EXCEPT:

A)not giving enough weight to dramatic events.
B)treating co-occurrences as correlations.
C)treating co-occurrences as causal relationships.
D)extrapolating the rate of instances from those observed.
E)discounting the fact that information from sources may be unreliable.

Question 31

When writing a research report, the literature review is typically included in which of the following sections?

A)Introduction
B)Analysis of the data / findings
C)Conclusions and recommendations
D)Description of research methods
E)Miscellaneous Issues

Question 32

Qualitative data analysis is largely inductive.

Question 33

In peer review, one seeks input from:

A)people from whom the data is collected.
B)methodology and topic area (external) reviewers.
C)policy makers who will use the study's findings to make decisions.
D)managers who commission the study.
E)the control group.

Question 34

Qualitative researchers often report percentages.

Question 35

Member checking can be used to establish cross-researcher reliability.

Question 36

Data displays that provide interim analysis must be included in the final report.

Question 37

In order to do triangulation, researchers can even use the same dataset as long it is analyzed by different researchers coming from different backgrounds or research perspectives.

Question 38

Compared to axial coding, selective coding occurs in the early stages of data analysis.

Question 39

The methodology section of a research report usually includes all of the following, EXCEPT:

A)number of researchers involved in the study and their level of involvement.
B)procedures for choosing informants.
C)procedures on negative case analyses and how the interpretation was modified.
D)procedures used for member checking, peer reviews, etc.
E)interpretation and summary of findings.

Question 40

When the objective of a study is statistical projectability and to determine magnitude of response, one should prefer qualitative over quantitative research.

Question 41

What is inductive analysis? Is qualitative analysis completely inductive? Explain.

Question 42

When writing a research report, one should start out with specifics and then proceed to the more general topics.

Question 43

The last part of a written report is a section on conclusions and recommendations.

Question 44

What are the different ways to do triangulation?

Question 45

How is reliability and validity viewed in the context of qualitative research?

Question 46

Discuss how the process of tabulation might keep researchers honest.

Question 47

Comments are quotes from research participants that are used in research reports.

Question 48

Member checking and peer review are reported in the methodological section of the report.

Question 49

Why is it important to include a discussion on research objectives in a written research report?

Question 50

Not taking account of the fact that information from some sources may be unreliable can threaten the credibility of conclusions drawn from quantitative analysis.