CRC Research Methods 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A counselor researcher uses a snowball sampling strategy. The primary limitation of this approach is:
- It requires a very large sample
- Participants are likely to refer others with similar characteristics, reducing diversity (Correct answer)
- It cannot be used with hidden populations
- It requires stratification of the population
Correct answer: Participants are likely to refer others with similar characteristics, reducing diversity
Snowball sampling relies on referral chains, which tend to produce homogeneous samples and limit generalizability.
Question 2: The standard error of the mean (SEM) decreases when:
- The population variance increases
- The sample size increases (Correct answer)
- The confidence level increases
- The alpha level decreases
Correct answer: The sample size increases
SEM equals the standard deviation divided by the square root of n, so larger samples yield smaller standard errors.
Question 3: Grounded theory as a qualitative research method aims to:
- Describe cultural practices of a defined community
- Generate theory from systematically collected and analyzed data (Correct answer)
- Explore individual lived experiences of a phenomenon
- Critically examine power structures in society
Correct answer: Generate theory from systematically collected and analyzed data
Grounded theory inductively builds theory through iterative data collection and constant comparative analysis.
Question 4: When evaluating a research instrument's reliability using the split-half method, which coefficient is typically used to correct for test length?
- Cronbach's alpha
- Spearman-Brown formula (Correct answer)
- Pearson r
- Intraclass correlation
Correct answer: Spearman-Brown formula
The Spearman-Brown prophecy formula corrects the split-half reliability estimate upward to account for the full test length.
Question 5: In a study comparing three or more group means simultaneously, the most appropriate parametric test is:
- Independent samples t-test
- Chi-square test of independence
- One-way ANOVA (Correct answer)
- Mann-Whitney U test
Correct answer: One-way ANOVA
One-way ANOVA tests for differences among three or more group means while controlling the family-wise error rate.
Question 6: In evidence-based practice for rehabilitation counseling, a systematic review differs from a narrative review primarily because it:
- Includes only qualitative studies
- Follows a pre-specified, reproducible protocol for searching and synthesizing literature (Correct answer)
- Is conducted by a single expert in the field
- Focuses exclusively on randomized controlled trials
Correct answer: Follows a pre-specified, reproducible protocol for searching and synthesizing literature
Systematic reviews use explicit, reproducible methods for literature searching and synthesis to minimize bias.
Question 7: A researcher wants to ensure that an interview guide accurately represents all dimensions of the construct 'community integration.' The most relevant form of validity to establish is:
- Predictive validity
- Concurrent validity
- Content validity (Correct answer)
- Convergent validity
Correct answer: Content validity
Content validity evaluates whether the items adequately represent all facets of the construct being measured.
CRC Research Methods 5
A counselor researcher uses a snowball sampling strategy.
The primary limitation of this approach is: