Chapter 3 - Quantitative Research

Question 1

What are concepts vis-a-vis measures?
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What are they useful for?
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Answer 1

Concepts are:
- building blo0cks of theory
- lables to elements of social world
- e.g. temperature (concept) vs. degree fahrenheit (measure)

What are they useful for?
- providing explanation of aspect of social world
- standing for things we want to explain
- giving a basis for meaning variation

Question 2

What are idnicators of vis a vis measures?

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Why use more than one indicator?
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Answer 2

• to measure concept -> important to have indicators standing for the concept
• less directly quantifiable than measures (e.g. job satisfaction)
• ## multiple indicator measures (concepts with different dimensions)
• single does only cover portion of concept
• capturing different dimensions
• finer disctintion between individuals

Question 3

What does reliability mean?

Answer 3

W I I

• stability - measure stable over time? | test-retest method | testing on one occasion and then readministering it to sample on another occasion
• internal reliability - are the indicators consistent? | split half method
• inter- observer consistency - is the measure consitent between observers?

Question 4

What are the factors to measure high quality quantitative researchers?

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Answer 4

• validity / measurement
• causality
• generalisation
• replication

Question 5

What does validity mean in terms of indicator?

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Answer 5

does the indicsator really measure the concept?

F P C C C
- face validity - right for the concept?
- concurrent validity - supported by relevant criterion today
- predictive validity - supported by relevant criterion tomorrow
- construct validity - useful hypotheses produced?
- convergent validity - supported by results fro other methods

Question 6

What does casuality mean in terms of indicator?

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Answer 6

Internal Validity

• not only describing, but also explaining
• idea of independent (cause) and dependent variables (effect)
• cause precedes the effect in time (temporal precedence)
• covariation: cause and effect are related
• nonspuriosness: no plausible explanations for the observed covariation

Question 7

What is meant by generalization in terms of indicator?

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What are limits to generalization?
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Answer 7

• can findings be generelaized beyond confines of the particular context?
• can findings be generalized from sample to population?
• ## how representative are the samples?
• time, historical events, cohort effects (results no longer relevant at some point)
• generalization might only count to population of selected sample

Question 8

What is meant by replication in terms of indicator?

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Answer 8

• minimizing contamination from researcher biases or values
• explicit description of procedures
• control of conditions of study
• ability to replicate in differing contexts

Question 9

What is criticism towards quantitative research?

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Is it always like this?

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Answer 9

• reliance on intruments and measurements (lack of ecological validity)
• very static view of social life
• whether objects in the social world and social phenomena?
• ## artificial precision and accuracy
• is a design typical approach
• useful as a GUIDE and practice
• discrepancy between ideal type and actual practice of BR
• pragmatic concerns mean that researchers may not adhere rigidly to these principles

Question 10

How can the discrepancy between ideal and typical approaches be explained?

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Answer 10

• quantitative research is usually deductive
• but measurements sometimes leading to indictuve theorising -> factors give rise to concepts, rather than making them operational
• bryman (1988) calls this reverse operationism