Chapter 12: Qualitative Research Methodology

Chapter 12: Qualitative Research Methodology

Complete Chapter Questions With Answers

Sample Questions Are Posted Below

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. In addition to the aim or goal of the study, the purpose statement for a qualitative study should include The phenomenon of interest, the population, and the

ANS:  A

The purpose statement for a qualitative study should include the phenomenon and population being studied and the setting. The rationale for conducting the study is not included in the purpose statement for qualitative research. The theoretical framework used is not a part of the purpose statement. Qualitative studies do not use hypothesis statements since stating expected outcomes and relationships are not consistent with the philosophical orientation of this approach. Instead, research questions or objectives are used.

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2. In contrast to quantitative research study participants who are selected to be as representative of a population as possible, qualitative research participants are selected because they

ANS:  D

The criterion for selecting participants for a qualitative study is that they have experienced the phenomenon of interest. The participants’ view of the value of narrative research and analysis is not the reason that study participants in a qualitative study are selected. In qualitative methodology, the method of sampling may differ as the study progresses, since the researcher may be led to interview a broader range of subjects than originally intended by what early participants relate. Although representativeness of the sample, especially through random sampling, is important to external validity (that is, the extent to which the sample’s findings can be applied to the population) for quantitative methods, it is not a characteristic of qualitative research.

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3. All of the following statements related to sample size are true characteristics of qualitative methodology except for which of the following?

ANS:  D

The text authors recommended including a projected sample size of 12 to 25 participants when submitting a study for IRB approval. The criterion of theoretical sufficiency has been proposed as a means for determining when the sample size is adequate. This refers to the process where data are collected until the research question can be adequately addressed. It contrasts with the more established term data saturation as a criterion to determine when the sample size is adequate, and is preferred by some researchers who believe that it is more appropriate because one can never completely know (or be saturated with) all there is to know about a topic. Samples for qualitative research studies are notably smaller than samples used in quantitative studies. Data saturation, or gathering data to the point where one is no longer learning new information about the phenomenon, is a term used to determine when the sample size is adequate.

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4. The qualitative researcher’s awareness of personal biases and past experiences that might influence his or her responses to participants or their data so that the data can be honestly and intellectually analyzed is termed

ANS:  B

Reflexivity is the term used to describe the researcher’s awareness of personal biases and past experiences that might influence how he or she responds to the participants and analyzes data in an intellectually honest way. An etic view is one that reflects the outsider’s perspective and tends to occur when the qualitative interviewer is not careful about establishing a relationship characterized by openness and trust. As a result, the view of the phenomenon obtained by the interviewer is an outsider’s perspective. The co-constructive process is a term used to describe the mutual influence the qualitative researcher and the study participant have on one another in generating findings. An emic view is the perspective of the participant. Qualitative interviewers should interact with the participants in a way that is open, fosters trust, and encourages the emic (or participant’s) view to emerge.

DIF:    Cognitive Level: Comprehension     REF:   Page 268