Week Six Flashcards
What are the three major qualitative designs
Participant observation
Intensive interviewing
Conducting focus groups
What is field research
Natural social processes are studied as they happen, leaving them relatively undisturbed and minimising the presence as a researcher
What is ethnography
The study of a culture or cultures that some group of people shred, using participant observation over an extended period
Single investigator immersed himself or herself in a group for a long time (often one or more years) establishing trust and experiencing the social world as the participants
What is netnography
Ethnography but studying online communities
What is participant observation
A researcher develops a sustained and intensive relationship with people as they go about their normal lives
What is complete observation
Researcher tries to see things as they happen, without actively participating in or disrupting these events
May be interaction with subjects of study or observing individuals behaviour in their natural setting
Subjects may not be aware they are being studied
Commonly used when observing specific types of events and behaviours that occur in public places
What is participant and observer
Role of both participant and the observer
Tells some members of group about their research interests - participate to gain trust and experience
What is covert participation
Researcher does not reveal identity as a researcher to those who are observed
What are the major sampling strategies for field research
Snowball sampling
Theoretical sampling: researcher bases samples in their theoretical discoveries
Experience sampling: experiences and thoughts of random people sampled during day - carry electronic pager that beeps when they need to fill out reports
What is systematic observation?
A standard form is used to record variation within the observed setting in terms of variables of interest
What are focus groups?
Groups of individuals are interviewed to collect data using open ended questions posed by the researcher
Most focus group involved to 7-10: a number that facilitates discussion by all in attendance
Participants don’t know each other but chosen as thoughts are usually homogeneous
What is a cognitive interview
A technique for evaluating questions in which researchers ask people test questions and then probe with follow up questions to learn how they understood the questions and what their answers mean
What is context effects
Occurs in a survey when one or more questions influence how subsequent questions are interpreted
What are contingent questions
Questions that are asked of only a subset of survey respondent
What are double negative questions
A question or statement that contains two negatives, which can muddy the meaning
What are exhaustive responses
A variables attributes or values in which every case can be classified as having on attribute
What are fence sitters
People who put mainly neutral or don’t know on issues
What is filter questions
A survey question used to identify a subset of respondents who then are asked other questions
What are floaters
Someone who provides an opinion on a topic they don’t know much about
What is idiosyncratic variation
Variation in responses in questions that is caused by individuals reactions to particular words or ideas in the question instead of by variation in the concept that the question is intended to measure
What is a reference period
A time frame in which a survey question asks respondents to place a particular behaviour (eg within the last six months) in
What is a spit ballot design
Unique questions or other modifications in a survey administrated to randomly selected subsets of the total survey sample, so that more questions can be included in the entire survey or so that responses to different questions can be compared
