CPP Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which evaluation framework assesses parking programs on inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes in a sequential model?
- SWOT analysis
- Logic model (Correct answer)
- Balanced scorecard
- Root cause analysis
Correct answer: Logic model
A logic model maps the chain from inputs through activities and outputs to short- and long-term outcomes.
Question 2: When reviewing published parking studies, a practitioner should primarily assess which to gauge reliability of findings?
- The journal's page count
- The author's institutional affiliation
- The methodology and sample size (Correct answer)
- The date the article was submitted
Correct answer: The methodology and sample size
Evaluating methodology and sample size helps determine whether findings are trustworthy and generalizable.
Question 3: A before-and-after study of a new parking guidance system lacks a control group. This design is called:
- Quasi-experimental (Correct answer)
- Randomized controlled
- Double-blind
- Factorial
Correct answer: Quasi-experimental
Quasi-experimental designs test interventions without random assignment to a control group, limiting causal conclusions.
Question 4: Which measure of central tendency is most resistant to extreme outliers in parking transaction data?
- Mean
- Mode
- Median (Correct answer)
- Range
Correct answer: Median
The median is the middle value and is not affected by very high or low outliers the way the mean is.
Question 5: A parking authority publishes an annual report based solely on its own operational data without external verification. This is an example of:
- Primary source research (Correct answer)
- Peer-reviewed evidence
- Meta-analysis
- Systematic review
Correct answer: Primary source research
Primary source research is data collected directly by the reporting organization from its own operations.
Question 6: In parking research, 'interrater reliability' is most important when:
- Calculating revenue projections
- Two or more observers classify the same parking events (Correct answer)
- Designing a license plate recognition system
- Analyzing financial audit results
Correct answer: Two or more observers classify the same parking events
Interrater reliability measures the degree of agreement when multiple observers independently code or classify the same data.
Question 7: A parking researcher uses existing city permit records rather than collecting new data. This approach is called:
- Field observation
- Secondary data analysis (Correct answer)
- Ethnographic research
- Experimental design
Correct answer: Secondary data analysis
Secondary data analysis uses data previously collected for another purpose, saving time and resources.
CPP Research Methods & Evidence-Based Practice 3
Which evaluation framework assesses parking programs on inputs, activities, outputs, and outcomes in a sequential model?