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Bryman: Social Research Methods: 5e

Chapter 17: Multiple choice questions

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Question 1
Which of the following is a method that is commonly used in qualitative research?

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Correct answer:
c) Ethnography
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Quantitative research is concerned with quantities, so qualitative research must be concerned with qualities. These stem from the words
people use rather than how often they say them or how many people say the same words. Qualitative research studies what people say and
how they say it, in terms of tone of voice and accompanying gestures, for example. Various methods have been devised to gather this kind
of data, including in-depth interviews, focus groups and participant observation/ethnography, whereby the researcher becomes immersed in
a social setting to observe the culture of a group. Answers (a), (b) and (d) belong to quantitative research strategies.
Page reference: 377,378

Question 2
What is meant by the term "grounded theory"?

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Correct answer:
d) Theoretical ideas and concepts should emerge from the data
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Grounded theory was introduced by Glaser & Strauss (1967) as a strategy for generating theory from data. In other words, rather than
imposing a rigid theoretical framework on the social world, qualitative researchers should gradually build their theories from the data. The
'theory' we end up with is 'grounded' in the data. (See chapter 24 for a full discussion). It follows that grounded theory uses an inductive
approach, whereby concepts emerge from the data. They can then be redefined as hypotheses for further testing.
Page reference: 381, Key concept 17.2

Question 3
A sensitizing concept is one that:

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Correct answer:
a) Provides general guidance for more flexible research
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Blumer (1954, cited on pages 382 and 383) made a distinction between definitive concepts, which are used in quantitative research to
define a concept in terms of measurable indicators, and sensitizing concepts, which should provide qualitative researchers with just a
general sense of reference that is open to revision. The problem with 'definitive' concepts is that we may stop thinking further about them
once we have established indicators. But, since these are also hypothetical, we really should refine them in the light of collected and
analysed data. Quantitative research cannot tolerate this, because of its dependency on measurement validity, but qualitative research
makes its unique contribution through willingness to "learn as we go".
Page reference: 382,383

Question 4
Which of the following is not a component of Guba & Lincoln's criterion, "trustworthiness"?

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Correct answer:
b) Measurability
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The criterion of trustworthiness was proposed by Guba & Lincoln (1994, cited on page 384) as a qualitative research alternative to
quantitative measures of validity and reliability. Its four components are credibility (a counterpart to internal validity), transferability (a
counterpart to external validity), dependability (to parallel reliability) and confirmability (as a parallel for objectivity). Qualitative researchers
do, indeed, use terms like reliability and validity but usually not in the ways implied by quantitative research methodologies, and this
provokes criticism. Guba and Lincoln's terms are nuanced to suggest the inherent distinction of qualitative research as concentrating on
human values.
Page reference: 384-386

Question 5
Respondent validation is the process by which:

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Correct answer:
b) Researchers ask their participants to comment on an account of the findings
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Key concept 17.3 on page 385 gives a full answer to this question. Qualitative researchers are often keen to ascertain that there is a good
correspondence between their interpretation of the findings and their participants' experiences. Respondent validation is a way of ensuring
this, by presenting the research participants with a report of the interview conducted with them, for example, and asking them for feedback
on it. There are certain problems associated with respondent validation but the idea to keep in mind is that this process is an attempt to
provide validity for the research from the very people who supplied the data.
Page reference: 385

Question 6
Why do qualitative researchers like to give detailed descriptions of social settings?

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Correct answer:
a) To provide a contextual understanding of social behaviour
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One of the main "preoccupations" of qualitative researchers identified by Bryman (pages 394 and 395) is their emphasis on descriptions of
social settings. This is important in that it allows us to understand the context in which events take place and the meanings that individuals
give to their action. It is precisely because something in the scene gives meaning to the research participant that the researcher includes it

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in the overall description.

Page reference: 394, 3955

Question 7
The flexibility and limited structure of qualitative research designs is an advantage because:

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Correct answer:
d) All of the above
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A fixed research frame may influence the data gathered. Although almost all research professionals subscribe to this notion, quantitative
researchers tend to isolate the elements of the design that may bias the results and measure the probable impact. Qualitative researchers,
by contrast, prefer "keeping structure to a minimum" (Bryman, p397), so that the data is free to express itself, as it is. This certainly means
that qualitative research enquiries must, of their very nature, be much more open, much vaguer than many would like. However, the
flexibility of this approach also allows them to incorporate unexpected events into the research design and adapt their theories as the
research progresses.
Page reference: 397

Question 8
Which of the following is not a criticism of qualitative research?

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Correct answer:
c) The approach is too rigid and inflexible
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The discussion in question 7 should help us to realise that, whatever other criticisms may be levelled at qualitative research; being too rigid
and inflexible cannot be one of them! This must be regarded, in fact, as its greatest strength. Qualitative research can be accused of not
offering opportunities for replication studies. Here again, it is difficult to see how a particular study, which has adjusted to the emerging data,
should be replicated, because any study should have the same flexibility in-built. Qualitative studies are subjective, of necessity. This is a
feature of this kind of research so the criticism may not be as valid as "lack of transparency". There is no excuse for not describing the basis
on which participants were selected for a study nor for not reporting the precise process of analysis.
Page reference: 398-400

Question 9
Which of the following is not a contrast between quantitative and qualitative research?

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Correct answer:
d) Interpretivist vs. feminist
Feedback:
Quantitative and qualitative research can be contrasted on various dimensions, as Bryman shows in Table 17.1 on page 401. Answers (a),
(b) and (c) are expressive of three of these. It can be argued, however, that there is an affinity between qualitative research and feminist
sensitivity. Since the fundamental philosophy of qualitative research is interpretivist, while that of quantitative research is generally positivist,
it follows that interpretivism and feminism have similar, rather than opposite, dimensional values.
Page reference: 400-402

Question 10
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Why has qualitative research been seen to have an affinity with feminism?

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Correct answer:
a) It allows women's voices to be heard, rather than objectifying and exploiting them
Feedback:
Following question nine, we could argue further that quantitative research is "incompatible with feminism" (Bryman, p403). Feminist
researchers such as Mies (1993, cited on page 03) suggested that quantitative research either ignores women or buries them in statistics
and Maynard (1998, cited on page 403) believed women's voices are silenced because the predetermined categories of quantitative
research emphasizes what is already known. By contrast, qualitative research allows women's voices to be heard and empowers them by
involving them in more egalitarian research relationships.
Page reference: 403

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