Social Science Research Methods Test 1 Practice Questions Guide With Correct Detailed Verified Answers.

In our text, the term "social research" denotes what? - correct answer The term social research denotes academic research on topics relating to questions relevant to the social scientific fields, such as sociology, human geography, social policy, politics, and criminology. Conducting a literature review is important because we need to determine what six things? - correct answer 1. What is already known about the topic 2. What concepts and theories have been applied to the topic 3. What research methods have been applied to the topic 4. What controversies exist about the topic and how it is studied 5. What clashes of evidence (if any) exist 6. Who the key contributors to research on the topic are. What are the six listed types of research questions provided by Denscombe (2010)? - correct answer 1. Predicting an outcome (does y happen under circumstances a and b?) 2. Explaining causes and consequences of a phenomenon (is y affected by x or is y a consequence of x?) 3. Evaluating a phenomenon (does y exhibit the benefits that it is claimed to have?) 4. Describing a phenomenon (what is y like or what forms does y assume?) 5. Developing good practice (how can we improve y?) 6. Empowerment (how can we enhance the lives of those we research?) What are the seven common stages (elements) of social research which distinguishes academic social research from other kinds of social research? - correct answer 1. Literature review 2. Concepts and theories 3. Research questions 4. Sampling Cases 5. Data collection 6. Data analysis 7. Writing up How do grand theories and middle-range theories differ? - correct answer Grand theories operate at a more abstract level. According to Merton, grand theories offer few indications to researchers as to how they might guide or influence the collection of empirical evidence. Which one is much more likely to guide empirical social research? - correct answer Middle-range theories Define empiricism. - correct answer Empiricism is an approach to the study of reality that suggests that only knowledge gained through experience the senses is acceptable. What does a deductive theory represent? - correct answer Deductive theory represents the commonest view of the nature of the relationship between theory and social research, whereby the researcher draws on what is known about in a particular domain and on relevant theoretical ideas in order to deduce a hypothesis. Define deduction. - correct answer Deduction is an approach to the relationship between theory and research in which the latter is conducted with reference to hypotheses and ideas inferred from the former. Make a hypothesis then collect your data! Quantitiative Define induction. - correct answer Induction is an approach to the relationship between theory and research in which the former is generated out of the latter. Gather information & then make sense of it. Data then theory Define epistemology. - correct answer Epistemology is a theory of knowledge. It refers to a stance on what should pass as acceptable knowledge. According to your text, an epistemological issue concerns what? - correct answer An epistemological issue concerns the question of what is (or should be) regarded as acceptable knowledge in a discipline. In the social sciences, what question is a central issue? - correct answer In the social sciences, a central issue is the question of whether the social world can and should be studied according to the same principles, procedures, and ethos as the natural sciences. Define positivism. - correct answer Positivism is an epistemological position that advocates the application of the methods of the natural sciences to the study of social reality and beyond. Seeking to explain behavior. We want measureable stuff. What are the five principles mentioned that positivism entail? - correct answer 1. Only phenomena and hence knowledge confirmed by the senses can genuinely be warranted as knowledge (the principle of phenomenalism) 2. The purpose of theory is to generate hypotheses that can be tested and that will thereby allow explanations of laws to be assess (the principle of deductivism) 3. Knowledge is arrived at through the gathering of facts that provide the basis for laws (the principle of indictivism) 4. Science must (and presumably can) be conducted in a way that is value free (that is, objective) 5. There is a clear distinction between scientific statements and normative statements and a belief that the former are the true domain of the scientist. Define realism. - correct answer Realism is an epistemological position that acknowledges a reality independent of the senses that is accessible to the researcher's tools and theoretical speculations. It implies that the categories created by scientists refer to real objects in the natural or social worlds. What are the two major forms of realism? - correct answer Empirical realism (fail to see underlying mechanisms) and critical realism (hypothetical to explain behavior) Define interpretivism. - correct answer Interpretivism is an epistemological position that requires the social scientist to grasp the subjective meaning of social action. To understand human behavior in a deep way. This would study feelings and interactions. What does its intellectual heritage include? - correct answer Its intellectual heritage includes Weber's notion of Verstehenl the hermeneutic-phenomenological tradition; and symbolic interactionism. Define ontology. - correct answer Ontology is a theory of the nature of social entities. What really exists in the social world? List and define the two ontological positions regarding the nature of social entities. - correct answer 1. Objectivism, which implies that the social phenomena confront us as external facts that are beyond our reach or influence. Social phenomena & their meanings have existence independent of social actors. Ex organizations 2. Constructionism, which asserts that social phenomena and their meanings are continually being accomplished by social actors. Social phenomena constructed by social actors. Organizations changed by social actors Define quantitative research. - correct answer Quantitative research emphasizes quantification in the collection and analysis of data. Numbers! What three important aspects of quantitative research are listed (in red bullets) along with its emphasis on the quantification in the collection and analysis of data? - correct answer 1. Deductive theory 2. Natural scientific model- positivism 3. Objective reality Define qualitative research. - correct answer Qualitative research emphasizes words rather than quantification in the collection and analysis of data. What three important aspects of qualitative research are listed (in red bullets) along with its emphasis on the words in the collection and analysis of data? - correct answer 1. Inductive approach 2. Interpretivism 3. Embodies a view of social reality as a constantly shifting property of individuals' creation Define mixed methods research. - correct answer Mixed methods research refers to research that combines methods associated with both quantitative and qualitative research. A researcher's values can intrude on research in what eight ways? - correct answer 1. Choice of research area. 2. Formulation of research questions. 3. Choice of method. 4. Formulation of research design and data-collection techniques 5. Implementation of data collection 6. Analysis of data. 7. Interpretation of data 8. Conclusions. Define reflexivity. - correct answer Reflexivity refers to a reflectiveness among social researchers about the implications, for the knowledge that they generate about the social world, of their methods, values, biases, decisions, and mere presence in the very situations they investigate. Define research design. - correct answer A research design provides a framework for the collection and analysis of data. What are the five different research designs examined in Chapter 3? - correct answer 1. Experimental design and its variants, including quasi-experiments 2. Cross-sectional or survey design 3. Longitudinal design 4. Case study design 5. Compar