Qualitative Research

Which of the following is not an example of triangulation?

• A team of researchers all carry out an observation of free time behaviour in an urban public high school and compare their data.

• Using both interviews and observations to see how young teachers deal with problematic student behaviour.

• Taking the results of a study back to the participants and asking for their feedback.

• Having a social worker, a psychologist and a biologist look at data from a study of the role of stress on health.

Answer explanation

Please note that you don't have to have "three" of something for it to be an example of triangulation.  Two research methods are enough to say that you have research triangulation.  When we take the results of the study back to participants for feedback, this is a way to establish the credibility of the findings, but it is not triangulation.

What is the name given to the plan for carrying out an interview?

• An interview schedule

• A transcript

• An interview agenda

• A memo

What is the key difference between an unstructured and a structured interview?

• Unstructured interviews are based on themes and do not have a strict list of questions that must be followed in a specific order.

• Structured interviews are more natural than unstructured interviews.

• Unstructured interviews are easier to analyse.

• Structured interviews are more valid.

Which of the following is not a limitation of a focus group?

• Participants may demonstrate conformity to group opinions.

• They are not highly naturalistic.

• They are difficult to manage.

• There is a problem with guaranteeing the confidentiality of the responses.

Answer explanation

Group conversations are very normal in day-to-day life, so the focus group is considered to be more naturalistic and have higher ecological validity than other forms of interviews.

When participants change their behaviour because they know that they are being observed, this is called

• Event sampling

• Expectancy effect

• Interviewer effects

• Reactivity

Which of the following is not true of a case study?

• They are highly controlled in order to avoid researcher bias.

• They make use of method triangulation.

• They are usually longitudinal.

• They are more holistic than simple experiments.