'C' Terms

Question 1

CAQDAS

Answer 1

An abbreviation of ‘Computer-Assisted (or computer-aided) Qualitative Data Analysis Software.

Question 2

Case Study

Answer 2

A research design that entails detailed and intensive analysis of either a single case or (for comparative purposes) a small number of cases.

Question 3

Causality

Answer 3

A connection between variables in which one variable changes as a result of a change in another, as opposed to a mere correlation between them.

Question 4

Cells

Answer 4

The areas in a table where the rows and columns intersect and data are inserted.

Question 5

Census

Answer 5

A count of an entire population; by contrast, a sample counts only some units of a population.

Question 6

Chi-square test

Answer 6

Chi-square (X2) is a test of statistical significance used to establish confidence that a finding displayed in a contingency table can be generalized from a probability sample to the population from which it is drawn.

Question 7

Closed, Closed-ended question

Answer 7

A question in an interview schedule or questionnaire that presents the respondent with a fixed set of possible answers to choose from; also called a fixed-choice question.

Question 8

Cluster sampling

Answer 8

A procedure in which the researcher first samples sets of cases (‘clusters’) and then samples units within them, usually a probability sampling method.

Question 9

Code, coding

Answer 9

In quantitative research, codes are the tags used to assign the data on each variable to a category of the variable in question. Numbers are usually assigned to each category to allow for easier computer processing. In qualitative research, coding is the process in which data are broken down into component parts, which are then assigned names.

Question 10

Coding frame or coding manual

Answer 10

A list of the codes to be used in the analysis of a particular set of data. For answers to a structured interview schedule or questionnaire, the coding frame delineates the categories used for each open question. With closed questions, the coding frame is essentially incorporated into the fixed answers for which respondents must choose; hence the term ‘pre-coded question.’

Question 11

Concept

Answer 11

A general or abstract idea; a category that serves to organize observations and ideas about some aspect of the social world.

Question 12

Concurrent validity

Answer 12

A type of validity that is tested by relating a measure to an existing criterion or a different indicator of the concept to see if one predicts the other; one of the main forms of measurement validity.

Question 13

Connotation

Answer 13

A term used in semiotics to refer to the meanings of a sign associated with the social context within which it operates: a sign’s connotations are supplementary to its denotation and less immediately apparent.

Question 14

Constant

Answer 14

An attribute on which cases do not differ; compare with variable.

Question 15

Constructionism, Constructionist

Answer 15

An ontological position (the antithesis of objectivism) According to which social phenomena and their meanings are continually being created by social actors; also known as constructivism.

Question 16

Construct validity

Answer 16

(1) Same as measurement validity; (2) A type of measurement validity that is established by determining whether the concepts being measured relate empirically in a manner that would be predicted by relevant theories.

Question 17

Content analysis

Answer 17

An approach to the analysis of documents and texts that seeks to quantify content in terms of predetermined categories in a systematic and replicable manner. The term is sometimes used in connection with qualitative research as well; see qualitative content analysis.

Question 18

Contingency table

Answer 18

A table made up of rows and columns that shows the relationship between two variables. Usually, at least one of the variables is a nominal variable or ordinal variable. Each cell in the table shows the number or (more often) the percentage of cases for that specific combination of the two variables.

Question 19

Control group

Answer 19

See experiment.

Question 20

Convenience sample

Answer 20

A sample that is selected because of its availability to the researchers; a form of non-probability sample.

Question 21

Conversation analysis (CA)

Answer 21

The fine-grained analysis of talk (recorded in naturally occurring situations and then transcribed) to uncover the underlying structures in interaction that make social order possible. Conversation analysis is grounded in ethnomethodology.

Question 22

Correlation

Answer 22

An approach to the analysis of relationships between interval/ratio variables and/or ordinal variables that seek to assess the strength and direction of the relationship between the variables concerned. Pearson’s are in Spearman’s rho are both correlational measures. The corresponding term ‘measure of association’ is often used with nominal variables.

Question 23

Covert research

Answer 23

A term frequently used in connection with ethnographic research in which the researcher does not reveal his or her true identity and/or intentions. Such research may violate the ethical principle of informed consent.

Question 24

Cramér’s V

Answer 24

A statistical measure used to assess the strength of the relationship between two nominal variables.

Question 25

Critical discourse analysis

Answer 25

A type of content analysis that brings issues such as power hierarchies, structural inequalities, and historical political struggles to bear on the analyses of texts.

Question 26

Critical realism

Answer 26

A realist epistemology according to which the study of the social world should be concerned with the identification of social structures in order to change them and thereby counteract inequalities and injustices. Unlike positivism, which is an empiricist epistemology, critical realism maintains that the structures may not be directly perceivable.

Question 27

Cross-sectional design

Answer 27

A research design in which data are collected at a single point in time.