MC Research Methods and Program Evaluation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A counselor using a single-subject research design (SSRD) is most likely interested in:
- Comparing two groups of clients in a controlled trial
- Tracking an individual client's progress across baseline and intervention phases (Correct answer)
- Conducting a national survey of counselor attitudes
- Performing a systematic review of existing studies
Correct answer: Tracking an individual client's progress across baseline and intervention phases
SSRD uses repeated measurements of an individual across baseline and treatment phases, making it well-suited for evaluating outcomes in clinical practice.
Question 2: Effect size in counseling research is a statistic that tells us:
- Whether results are statistically significant
- The practical magnitude of the treatment's impact (Correct answer)
- How large the research sample was
- Whether the study had a control group
Correct answer: The practical magnitude of the treatment's impact
Effect size quantifies the practical or clinical significance of a treatment effect, independent of sample size, helping clinicians judge real-world meaningfulness.
Question 3: Qualitative research methods in counseling are best suited for:
- Testing hypotheses with large representative samples
- Exploring lived experiences and meaning-making in depth (Correct answer)
- Calculating prevalence rates of disorders
- Comparing treatment outcomes across control groups
Correct answer: Exploring lived experiences and meaning-making in depth
Qualitative methods (interviews, focus groups, narrative analysis) excel at capturing the depth, nuance, and subjective meaning of human experience.
Question 4: A meta-analysis in counseling research synthesizes findings from multiple studies primarily to:
- Recruit large samples for a new trial
- Calculate an overall effect size across the body of research (Correct answer)
- Conduct long-term follow-up with original study participants
- Develop new theoretical frameworks
Correct answer: Calculate an overall effect size across the body of research
Meta-analysis statistically combines results from multiple studies on the same question to derive a more precise and generalizable estimate of treatment effectiveness.
Question 5: In program evaluation, a 'needs assessment' is conducted to:
- Measure program outcomes after implementation
- Determine the gap between current and desired conditions before designing a program (Correct answer)
- Train staff on evidence-based practices
- Audit financial expenditures
Correct answer: Determine the gap between current and desired conditions before designing a program
A needs assessment identifies the target population's unmet needs and existing resources to guide program design before any intervention is implemented.
Question 6: Which sampling method involves recruiting participants who then refer others from their social network, commonly used when studying hard-to-reach populations?
- Stratified random sampling
- Snowball sampling (Correct answer)
- Systematic sampling
- Cluster sampling
Correct answer: Snowball sampling
Snowball sampling uses social networks for recruitment, with initial participants referring others, making it useful for accessing stigmatized or hidden populations.
MC Research Methods and Program Evaluation 2
A counselor using a single-subject research design (SSRD) is most likely interested in: