Research Design Flashcards
What is qualitative research?
research that gains insight and depth on a topic
What are the differences between qualitative research and quantitative research?
Qualitative // Quantitative
- evaluates // counts and measures
- uses concepts to explicate // processes collected data
- focuses on aesthetics in texts // focuses on incidences of X in tests
- theoretical // statistical
- leads to an evaluation // leads to a hypothesis
- interpretation can be attacked // methodology can be attacked
What is are the purposes of research?
exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory
What is exploratory research?
research that investigates, explores, or attempts to figure out a new innovative thread of knowledge
True or False: exploratory studies can be quantitative or qualitative
True: depends on what the research decides is better for the specific study
What is descriptive research?
allows researchers to focus on describing a phenomenon or understanding the details about people’s experiences of a particular event
T or F: descriptive studies are generally qualitative
T: gathers in-depth data from people and allows participants the flexibility of expressing their feelings and situations in detail
what is explanatory research?
focuses on explaining the reasons behind a phenomenon, relationship, or event
what does explanatory research explain?
the reasons behind an already known and/or established relationship
T or F: exploratory studies can be quantitative or qualitative
True: depends on what the researcher decides is better for the study
What is the next step after determining the purpose of a research project?
Consider the frequency of contact between the researcher and the people she/he is studying
What is cross-sectional data?
data that is collected only once
What is longitudinal data?
data that is collected multiple times
What is cross-sectional research?
a simple snapshot of data collected at one point in time
What are the advantages of cross-sectional research?
convenient, inexpensive, quick
What are the disadvantages of cross-sectional research?
prone to various types of error
“no going back” - Pajo, Chp. 4
How does longitudinal research work?
data is collected at different points in time, which helps accuracy and avoids errors like inaccurate responses
What are the different types of longitudinal designs?
panel designs and trend studies
what are panel designs?
data is collected from the same people at multiple collection points
what are trend studies?
data is collected from different people (all drawn from the same population) at multiple collection points
what are the advantages of longitudinal research?
- helps address some types of error found/inherent in cross-sectional research
- flexible
- can help researchers identify time-based trends/changes
what are the disadvantages of longitudinal research?
- expensive
- time consuming
- data can be difficult to interpret
True or False: qualitative research is either exploratory or descriptive while quantitative research is either exploratory or explanatory
True
True or False: Qualitative research can be either cross-sectional or longitudinal
True
Quantitative research can be either cross-sectional or longitudinal
True
