CRA Data Collection & Analysis 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Cronbach's alpha is a measure of:
- Test-retest reliability
- Inter-rater reliability
- Internal consistency reliability (Correct answer)
- Criterion validity
Correct answer: Internal consistency reliability
Cronbach's alpha quantifies the internal consistency of a multi-item scale by assessing how well items that measure the same construct correlate with each other.
Question 2: A researcher records participants' exact words during interviews without interpretation. This stage is called:
- Coding
- Transcription (Correct answer)
- Memoing
- Member checking
Correct answer: Transcription
Transcription converts recorded speech verbatim into written text, preserving the raw qualitative data before any analytical coding begins.
Question 3: Which sampling method would be most appropriate when the population is divided into distinct, non-overlapping subgroups of interest?
- Simple random sampling
- Stratified random sampling (Correct answer)
- Snowball sampling
- Quota sampling
Correct answer: Stratified random sampling
Stratified random sampling divides the population into strata and randomly samples from each, ensuring all subgroups are proportionally represented.
Question 4: In quantitative research, a p-value of 0.03 means:
- There is a 3% chance the hypothesis is true
- There is a 97% probability the effect is real
- There is a 3% probability of obtaining results this extreme if the null hypothesis is true (Correct answer)
- The effect size is 0.03
Correct answer: There is a 3% probability of obtaining results this extreme if the null hypothesis is true
A p-value represents the probability of observing data as extreme as the sample, assuming the null hypothesis is true — not the probability that any hypothesis is correct.
Question 5: Secondary data analysis involves:
- Collecting data twice from the same sample
- Analyzing data collected by another researcher for a different original purpose (Correct answer)
- Re-running statistical tests on the same dataset
- Verifying primary data with a follow-up survey
Correct answer: Analyzing data collected by another researcher for a different original purpose
Secondary data analysis uses pre-existing datasets — such as government records or prior studies — to answer new research questions without new data collection.
Question 6: Which type of interview format gives participants the most freedom to guide the conversation?
- Structured interview
- Semi-structured interview
- Unstructured interview (Correct answer)
- Standardized interview
Correct answer: Unstructured interview
Unstructured interviews use open-ended prompts with no fixed question sequence, allowing participants to direct the discussion toward topics most meaningful to them.
Question 7: The mode of a dataset is best defined as:
- The arithmetic average of all values
- The middle value when data are ordered
- The value that appears most frequently (Correct answer)
- The difference between the maximum and minimum values
Correct answer: The value that appears most frequently
The mode is the most frequently occurring value in a dataset and is the only measure of central tendency applicable to nominal-level data.
CRA Data Collection & Analysis 3
Cronbach's alpha is a measure of: