qualitative methods test 1 Flashcards
what is knowledge?
any type of information that helps us understand something; the world
what does knowledge determine?
how we operate (act, react, and think in different situations)
how to acquire knowledge?
- observation
- practice/experience
- talking to people/asking questions
- listenning
- reading/media
- being part of groups
is knowledge a conscious or an unconscious process?
both
what is culture?
it’s a collective way of being of a group of people
what is culture a template for?
how we think and actn
what’re the elements of culture?
- values
- norms
- traditions
- practices
- symbols
- aesthetics
- communication
what is scientific research based off of?
systematic research aka rigorous research
what does the scientific research rely on?
imperical evidence aka actual proof that can be measured, counted, observed
in scientific research, what is replication?
the study must produce the same results every time give the same conditions
with replication you can…
identify the causation and understand cause & effect
what is the social science research focused on?
humanity and social formations
what are the differences between scientific research and social science research?
- replication in social science research is impossible
- it is difficult to isolate causation
- cannot formulate laws
why is replication impossible in the social science research?
humans are too complex & unpredictable
what are the advantages of the interviews?
- you get to speak directly to the participants
- they get to answer questions in their own words, giving a more detailed explanation
how do you prepare for an interview?
you create an interview guide in a logical order and organized by topic
what is an interview guide?
list of questions
what tips would you give someone before conducting an interview?
- make an appointment
- find a quiet location
- make sure equipment works
what tips would you give someone during the conducting of the interviw?
- start with small talk
- ask for informed consent
- be familiar with interview guide
- make respondent comfortable
- ask probing questions
- don’t suggest answers
- don’t interrupt
- don’t repeat questions
how do you make a respondent comfortable during an interview?
- be an active listener
- make relevant comments
- don’t take notes
what are the origins of life histories?
the method derived from biography
what is the purpose of life histories?
use a life as an example of broader processes
what are 3 different ways to conduct life histories?
- interviews
- archival research
- prolonged ethnographic research
what is meant by archival research?
the use of historical documents, generally done when individual is either dead or unavailable and it is only on documents to piece together lives
what are the advantages of a focus group?
- its faster
- the group dynamic can stimulate the conversation
- you can understand major trends
what are the disadvantages of a focus group?
- you cannot deal with sensitive subjects
- a few participants will dominate the conversation
- participants may change their answers because they want to fit in
- it can be difficult to keep control of the conversation
what is the process of a focus group?
- interview guide
- select participants
- select location
- procedure explanation
- interview + moderate
- finish interview
what is participant observation?
intense form of cultural immersion
what do ethnographers uncover that is most important?
folkterms
what’re folkterms?
words/expressions that insiders will be familiar with
what is a hypothesis?
it is a clear & direct statement that expresses the expected relationship between 2 variables followed by an explanation. it basically predicts the results of a study
what is a variable?
any element with more than one potential outcome
what are the 2 types of variables in a hypothesis?
- independent variable
- dependent variable
what is an independent variable?
it is the cause
+ it can change on its own
what is a dependent varibale?
it is the effect
+ change to this varibale will be cause by the independent variable
what are operational definitions?
it is an explanation of how a variable will be measure and defined for the duration of a study. It is consistent in applying definitions and ensure the validity of results
what is a research question when it comes to inductive research?
questions that will guide our inquiry, that is broadin scope and somewhat focused
what are key themes when it comes to inductive research?
- potential answers to research questions
- outlet for emotions
- special content = own rules
- respect
