CSP Qualitative Research & Ethnography 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In grounded theory, the constant comparative method involves:
- Comparing findings to existing published theories
- Systematically comparing new data to previously coded data to refine categories (Correct answer)
- Having two coders independently analyze the same transcript
- Contrasting quantitative and qualitative results
Correct answer: Systematically comparing new data to previously coded data to refine categories
The constant comparative method requires ongoing comparison of incidents, codes, and categories as data collection and analysis proceed simultaneously.
Question 2: Which sampling strategy is most appropriate when a researcher wants to maximize variation across key characteristics in a small qualitative sample?
- Snowball sampling
- Maximum variation purposive sampling (Correct answer)
- Random stratified sampling
- Quota sampling
Correct answer: Maximum variation purposive sampling
Maximum variation purposive sampling deliberately selects cases that differ on key dimensions to capture the range of a phenomenon.
Question 3: Reflexivity in qualitative research primarily requires the researcher to:
- Use a reflective survey instrument
- Critically examine how their own positionality shapes the research process and findings (Correct answer)
- Revisit field sites multiple times
- Replicate the study with a different population
Correct answer: Critically examine how their own positionality shapes the research process and findings
Reflexivity demands ongoing self-scrutiny about how the researcher's identity, assumptions, and relationships influence data and interpretation.
Question 4: A key advantage of using life history interviews in sociological research is that they:
- Produce statistically generalizable data
- Capture how individuals interpret their experiences over time within social structures (Correct answer)
- Eliminate recall bias entirely
- Reduce the time needed for data collection
Correct answer: Capture how individuals interpret their experiences over time within social structures
Life history interviews illuminate the intersection of personal biography and broader social forces across a participant's life course.
Question 5: In content analysis of qualitative data, manifest content refers to:
- Underlying themes and latent meanings
- The observable, surface-level elements of a text (Correct answer)
- The researcher's interpretive framework
- Patterns identified through axial coding
Correct answer: The observable, surface-level elements of a text
Manifest content is what is literally present and directly observable in a document, as opposed to latent content which requires interpretation.
Question 6: Which approach would a researcher use to study how individuals experience the phenomenon of grief following job loss, focusing on the essence of the lived experience?
- Ethnomethodology
- Phenomenology (Correct answer)
- Symbolic interactionism
- Historical comparative analysis
Correct answer: Phenomenology
Phenomenology focuses on uncovering the essential structures of lived subjective experiences, making it ideal for studying phenomena like grief.
Question 7: When a researcher uses member checking, they are:
- Verifying that team members followed the interview protocol
- Sharing findings or interpretations with participants to confirm accuracy (Correct answer)
- Cross-checking codes between two analysts
- Reviewing literature to validate emerging themes
Correct answer: Sharing findings or interpretations with participants to confirm accuracy
Member checking (also called respondent validation) involves returning interpretations to participants to assess whether findings resonate with their experiences.
CSP Qualitative Research & Ethnography 3
In grounded theory, the constant comparative method involves: