Lecture 2

Question 1

‘good research’ - quality criteria implied in (post)positivism

Answer 1

• Findings are an accurate reflection of reality – validity (various types)
• Another researcher will be able to conduct the same research - replicability
• When another researcher will conduct the research, the results will be the same –
  reliability

Question 2

trustworthiness

Answer 2

• credibility
• transferability
• dependability
• confirmability

Question 3

credibility

Answer 3

• confidence in the ‘truth’ of the findings

Question 4

Prolonged Engagement & Persistent Observation (Credibility)

Answer 4

spending enough time and focusing on aspects relevant to the issue being studied

Question 5

Triangulation (credibility)

Answer 5

using multiple data sources in an investigation to produce understanding.

Question 6

Peer debriefing (credibility)

Answer 6

exposing oneself to a disinterested peer in a manner paralleling an analytical session and for the purpose of exploring aspects of the inquiry that might otherwise remain only implicit

Question 7

Negative case analysis (credibility)

Answer 7

Analysis of deviant cases may revise, broaden and confirm the patterns emerging from data analysis.

Question 8

Referential adequacy (credibility)

Answer 8

checking interpretations against data that have not been analysed yet.

Question 9

member-checking (=respondent validation) (credibility)

Answer 9

data, analytic categories, interpretations and conclusions are tested with members of those groups from whom the data were originally obtained.

Question 10

Thick description (transferability)

Answer 10

By describing a phenomenon in sufficient detail, the reader can begin to evaluate the extent to which the conclusions drawn are transferable to other times, settings, situations, and people.

Question 11

Inquiry audit (dependability)

Answer 11

External audits involve having a researcher not involved in the research
process examine both the process and product of the research study.
This is only possible if enough detail about the process is available, and if
data are stored well.

Question 12

Confirmability audit (confirmability)

Answer 12

External audits involve having a researcher not involved in the research process examine both the process and product of the research study (in order to assess if results are influenced by the researcher)

Question 13

Audit trail (confirmability)

Answer 13

• transparent description of the research steps taken from the start of a research project to the development and reporting of findings.

Question 14

Triangulation (confirmability)

Answer 14

• Rather than seeing triangulation as a method for validation or verification, qualitative researchers generally use this technique to ensure that an account is rich, robust, comprehensive and well-developed.

Question 15

Reflexivity (confirmabilty)

Answer 15

Attitude of attending systematically to the context of knowledge construction, especially to the effect of the researcher, at every step of the research process.

Question 16

Statistical generalizability

Answer 16

random sample from a sampling frame (all units in the population). Also referred to as external validity

Question 17

Purposeful/purposive sampling

Answer 17

“The logic and power of purposeful sampling lies in selecting information-rich cases for study in depth. Information-rich cases are those from which one can learn a great deal about issues of central impor tance to the purpose of the research, thus the term purposeful sampling.”

Question 18

Snowball sampling

Answer 18

• When respondents are difficult to reach (drug users)
• When respondents are more aware who can provide the information the researcher is looking for (experts referring to other experts)
• In addition may provide insight into social networks, which can be useful
• Downside: valuable respondents may be missed.

Question 19

Convenience sampling

Answer 19

• Easy-to-reach respondents
• Low quality

Question 20

Definition of Case study

Answer 20

(view notes)

Question 21

types of case selection

Answer 21

(view notes)

Question 22

Comparative case study

Answer 22

Comparative case studies involve the analysis and synthesis of the similarities, differences and patterns across two or more cases that share a common focus or goal in a way that produces knowledge that is easier to generalize about causal questions – how and why particular programmes or policies work or fail to work