Chapter 12

Question 1

Which best describes a typical sample in qualitative studies?
A) Large and randomly selected
B) Small and randomly selected
C) Large and selected not at random
D) Small and selected not at random

Answer 1

D) Small and selected not at random

Question 2

In thinking about sampling for a qualitative study, a researcher might ask which question?
A) How many people do I need to achieve adequate power?
B) Who would be a rich information source for my study?
C) Will my sample be representative of the target population?
D) To which group will I be able to generalize my findings?

Answer 2

B) Who would be a rich information source for my study?

Question 3

Which is true regarding both quantitative and qualitative research?
A) Both involve the development of eligibility criteria before recruiting study participants
B) Both involve the use of random samples whenever possible
C) Both rely on power analysis to estimate sample size needs
D) Generalizability is a major quality criterion in both types of research.

Answer 3

A) Both involve the development of eligibility criteria before recruiting study participants

Question 4

A qualitative researcher studied women’s decision to delay childbearing until their late 30s. Initial study participants referred friends who had made similar decisions. What type of sample is being used with such referrals?
A) Convenience
B) Volunteer
C) Snowball
D) Purposive

Answer 4

C) Snowball

Question 5

Which is a potential drawback of convenience sampling in qualitative research?
A) Convenience sampling is only useful at the end of the sampling process
B) Convenience sampling is too expensive
C) Convenience sampling is inefficient
D) Convenience sampling may not yield the most information-rich sources

Answer 5

D) Convenience sampling may not yield the most information-rich sources

Question 6

Which statement about sampling is true?
A) Convenience sampling is used by both quantitative and qualitative researchers
B) Quantitative researchers establish eligibility criteria, but qualitative researchers do not
C) Another name for snowball sampling is volunteer sampling
D) Qualitative researchers do not need to be as concerned as quantitative researchers about the quality of their samples

Answer 6

A) Convenience sampling is used by both quantitative and qualitative researchers

Question 7

Qualitative sampling may begin with volunteer participants, but many studies eventually evolve to a broad sampling strategy focused on the study’s information needs. What is the name of that broad strategy?
A) Convenience sampling
B) Quota sampling
C) Snowball sampling
D) Purposive sampling

Answer 7

D) Purposive sampling

Question 8

A nurse researcher studied barriers to smoking cessation among pregnant women. The study involved in-depth interviews with 16 women who were selected to be different in terms of their parity, education, and length of time as a smoker. Which sampling method was used?
A) Maximum variation sampling
B) Typical case sampling
C) Extreme case sampling
D) Criterion sampling

Answer 8

A) Maximum variation sampling

Question 9

A nurse researcher studied nursing students’ experiences of bullying in clinical placements, using a case study design with multiple cases. The researcher selected cases that involved persistent, severe bullying. Which sampling method was used?
A) Maximum variation sampling
B) Typical case sampling
C) Extreme case sampling
D) Criterion sampling

Answer 9

C) Extreme case sampling

Question 10

A nurse researcher studied how men coped with a diagnosis of prostate cancer. The researcher concluded that early adjustment to the diagnosis involved a process provisionally described as “reframing.” The researcher then deliberately tried to sample people for whom reframing was not apparent. Which sampling method was used toward the end of this study?
A) Criterion sampling
B) Sampling disconfirming cases
C) Extreme case sampling
D) Maximum variation sampling

Answer 10

C) Extreme case sampling

Question 11

Which is not a type of purposive sampling?
A) Extreme case sampling
B) Maximum variation sampling
C) Snowball sampling
D) Typical case sampling

Answer 11

C) Snowball sampling

Question 12

Which statement about sampling in qualitative research is true?
A) Convenience sampling is considered the most appropriate method of selecting sample members.
B) Larger samples are considered more useful than smaller samples.
C) Using randomness in the sampling process is desirable.
D) The type of sampling approach can change and evolve over the course of data collection.

Answer 12

D) The type of sampling approach can change and evolve over the course of data collection

Question 13

Which qualitative research tradition relies on theoretical sampling?
A) Ethnography
B) Descriptive phenomenology
C) Interpretive phenomenology
D) Grounded theory

Answer 13

D) Grounded theory

Question 14

Why do qualitative nurse researchers use theoretical sampling?
A) To find cases that meet a predetermined criterion of importance
B) To select participants who will help to develop the emerging conceptualization
C) To learn about the phenomenon under study from the most unusual and extreme cases
D) To ensure diversity with regard to characteristics deemed important to the phenomenon under study

Answer 14

B) To select participants who will help to develop the emerging conceptualization

Question 15

What is data saturation?
A) Sampling to the point at which new information continues to be obtained
B) Sampling to the point at which the target population is saturated with requests for data
C) Sampling to the point at which redundancy of information is achieved
D) Sampling to the point at which maximum variation is achieved

Answer 15

C) Sampling to the point at which redundancy of information is achieved

Question 16

Which statement about sample size in qualitative research is true?
A) New researchers who have a fresh eye on phenomena can get by with smaller samples than more experienced researchers
B) If the quality of data being collected is exceptionally good, a smaller sample may suffice than when data are of mediocre quality
C) Typical case sampling requires more participants than maximum variation sampling
D) Sampling for qualitative studies should stop before information becomes redundant

Answer 16

B) If the quality of data being collected is exceptionally good, a smaller sample may suffice than when data are of mediocre quality

Question 17

Which statement about sampling in ethnographic studies is true?
A) Ethnographers sample not only people but also events, records, artefacts, and other features of a culture.
B) Ethnographers usually have at least 100 key informants in their samples.
C) Ethnographers avoid conversing with many people, restricting their sample to a few expert cultural consultants.
D) Ethnographers select key informants using convenience sampling.

Answer 17

A) Ethnographers sample not only people but also events, records, artefacts, and other features of a culture.

Question 18

Nine women participated in a nurse researcher’s study of the experience of alcohol-related intimate partner abuse. This is most likely to be the sample for which type of study?
A) A phenomenological study
B) A grounded theory study
C) An ethnography
D) A descriptive qualitative study

Answer 18

A) A phenomenological study

Question 19

Which is a key criterion for being included in a sample for a phenomenological study?
A) The person must belong to a particular culture or social group
B) The person must have considerable factual knowledge about the phenomenon being studied
C) The person must be willing to be exposed to the phenomenon under study
D) The person must have experienced the phenomenon being studied

Answer 19

D) The person must have experienced the phenomenon being studied

Question 20

Which statement about sampling in grounded theory studies is true?
A) Grounded theory researchers start with theoretical sampling and then later evolve to a snowballing approach.
B) In a grounded theory study, sampling, data collection, data analysis, and theory construction occur concurrently and iteratively.
C) Grounded theory researchers do not use the principal of data saturation in their sampling approach.
D) Grounded theory studies typically involve samples of 40 to 60 people.

Answer 20

B) In a grounded theory study, sampling, data collection, data analysis, and theory construction occur concurrently and iteratively.

Question 21

Which is used to support the transferability of qualitative research findings?
A) Thick description
B) Data saturation
C) Key informants
D) Disconfirming cases

Answer 21

A) Thick description

Question 22

Which statement about data collection in qualitative studies is true?
A) Qualitative researchers are as likely as quantitative researchers to gather biophysiologic data
B) Qualitative researchers typically incorporate scales into their data collection protocols
C) The main source of data for qualitative studies is in-depth interviews
D) The research tradition that uses the greatest diversity of data sources is phenomenology

Answer 22

C) The main source of data for qualitative studies is in-depth interviews

Question 23

A nurse researcher is studying parents’ experiences of having a child diagnosed with leukemia. The researcher began the interview by asking “Can you tell me what it was like when you first learned that your child had leukemia?” This is an example of which type of question?
A) A focused question
B) A grand tour question
C) A brainstorming question
D) A topical question

Answer 23

B) A grand tour question

Question 24

A nurse researcher is interviewing participants who survived a major earthquake. Which is the best example of a grand tour question for this study?
A) At what point did you evacuate the area?
B) What kind of damage did your home sustain?
C) What was it like to live through an earthquake?
D) Where were you at the time the earthquake occurred?

Answer 24

C) What was it like to live through an earthquake?

Question 25

A nurse researcher is studying nurses’ experiences with ethically difficult situations and has a list of question areas that need to be covered in each interview. What is that list called?
A) A photo elicitation
B) A topic guide
C) An interview schedule
D) A questionnaire

Answer 25

B) A topic guide

Question 26

Which statement about topic guides is true?
A) Topic guides are the backbone of ethnographic interviews.
B) Topic guides include a mix of open-ended and closed-ended questions.
C) The first question on topic guides is a grand tour question.
D) Topic guides are often used to guide discussions in focus group interviews.

Answer 26

D) Topic guides are often used to guide discussions in focus group interviews.

Question 27

Which statement about focus groups is true?
A) Focus group interviews involve going around the room and asking each person in the group the same question.
B) The person guiding a focus group interview is called a moderator.
C) Focus groups are less efficient than individual interviews.
D) Focus group sessions typically involve about 20 people.

Answer 27

B) The person guiding a focus group interview is called a moderator.

Question 28

An ethnographer is studying the culture of a refugee community in Toronto. The interviews take place in the participants’ homes, and the interviewer asks participants to talk about family pictures and souvenirs that are on display. What type of interview is this?
A) A focus group interview
B) A dyadic interview
C) A photo elicitation interview
D) A structured interview

Answer 28

C) A photo elicitation interview

Question 29

Which statement about collecting self-report data in qualitative research is true?
A) Most qualitative researchers audio record their interviews for later transcription
B) The most common method of conducting in-depth qualitative interviews is over the telephone
C) Interviews for qualitative studies are conversational, so researchers avoid doing any advance preparation that could reduce spontaneity
D) When interviewing participants, qualitative researchers ask their questions in a predetermined order to avoid bias

Answer 29

A) Most qualitative researchers audio record their interviews for later transcription

Question 30

Which statement about unstructured observation is true?
A) Unstructured observation is synonymous with participant observation
B) Participant observation involves prolonged periods of social interaction between researchers and participants
C) Researchers seek to gain “front stage” knowledge of the group or culture under study
D) Participant observation is a technique unique to ethnographers

Answer 30

B) Participant observation involves prolonged periods of social interaction between researchers and participants

Question 31

Which statement about participant observation is true?
A) Participant observers usually maintain the same level of participation throughout the study.
B) In a participant observation study, participants are observed but not questioned.
C) Participant observers typically use a combination of strategies for positioning themselves during observations.
D) Participant observers most commonly record their observations by videotaping the events and transactions they observe.

Answer 31

C) Participant observers typically use a combination of strategies for positioning themselves during observations.

Question 32

A nurse researcher undertakes participant observation in an intensive care unit. On consecutive days, the researcher shadows a different staff member and observes his or her behaviour and actions. This is example of which type of positioning?
A) Single positioning
B) Multiple positioning
C) Mobile positioning
D) Selective positioning

Answer 32

C) Mobile positioning

Question 33

Participant observers can gather a wide range of information about a group or setting under study. Which question is least likely to be considered relevant from a substantive point of view in a participant observation study?
A) Where will I be able to charge electronic devices needed for data collection?
B) What are the roles and characteristics of the people being observed?
C) How often do people communicate and interact with each other?
D) What are the key activities of this group and how often do they occur?

Answer 33

A) Where will I be able to charge electronic devices needed for data collection?

Question 34

What information is kept in an observational log?
A) Reflexive notes about the observer’s preconceptions
B) An interpretation of what the observer witnessed
C) Notes on what the observer would like to pursue the next day
D) A record of what the observer did in the field each day

Answer 34

D) A record of what the observer did in the field each day