Name: ______________________

EDPSY 500 Exam #3

Directions: You have until Monday (12/11) at 7:30 to complete this exam by yourself. A
copy of the exam must be emailed to [email protected]. Late exams will be penalized
10% per day.

Section 1: Multiple Choice (2 points each)

Directions: Choose the best, most complete, answer to each of the following questions.
Each item is worth 2 points, and this entire section is worth 40% of the exam score.

1. Qualitative researchers view changes in procedures during a study as

a) a weakness.
b) frustrating.
c) a good thing.
d) to be avoided.

2. Which of the following is not a general feature that characterizes most qualitative
research?
a) inflexible design
b) naturalistic inquiry
c) holistic perspective
d) personal contact and insight

3. Which of the following is a philosophical assumption of qualitative researchers?

a) Facts and values are distinct from one another.
b) The proper design of research investigations will lead to accurate conclusions
about the nature of the world.
c) Values are an integral part of the research process.
d) Facts stand independent of the knower and can be known in an undistorted
way.

4. Which of the following is a philosophical assumption of quantitative researchers?

a) The initial ambiguity that occurs in a study is desirable.

b) The purpose of educational research is to explain and be able to predict
relationships.
c) Research investigations produce alternative visions of what the world is like.
 d) It is impossible for the researcher to stand apart from the individuals he or she
is studying.
5. In which approach to qualitative research do the researchers intend to generate a
theory that is based on data systematically gathered and analyzed?
a) Phenomenology
b) Biography
c) grounded theory
d) case study

6. Researchers who study various reactions to or perceptions of a particular phenomenon

take which approach to qualitative research?
a) Grounded
b) biography
c) phenomenology
d) case study

7. The study of a single individual and his or her experiences as told to the researcher or
found in documents and archival material describes which approach to qualitative
research?
a) Biography
b) case study
c) phenomenology
d) grounded

8. Mixed-method designs
a) are almost impossible to carry out.
b) combine quantitative and qualitative methods.
c) are philosophically unjustified.
d) result in contradictory findings.

9. In qualitative research, reliability and validity are

a) evaluated statistically.
b) largely a matter of judgment.
c) relatively unimportant.
d) assured by structuring situations.

10. The main problem with informal interviews is

a) getting comparable information from different respondents.
b) the excessive amount of time required.
c) the variety of topics that must be covered.
d) getting respondents to cooperate.
11. Which of the following is not one of the three main techniques that qualitative
researchers use to collect and analyze their data?
a) systematically removing data that does not support their hypothesis
b) observing people as they go about their daily activities and recording what
they do
c) conducting in-depth interviews with people about their ideas, their opinions,
and their experiences
d) analyzing documents or other forms of communication

12. When a researcher does not participate in the activity being observed but sits on the
sidelines and watches, he/she is a(n)
a) complete participant.
b) observer-as-participant.
c) nonparticipant observer.
d) participant-as-observer.

13. Observer effect describes

a) when a researcher identifies herself as a researcher but make no pretense of
actually being a member of the group.
b) the effect the presence of an observer has on the behavior of those being
observed.
c) when the researcher observes the activities of the group without in any way
becoming a participant in those activities. The subjects may or may not
realize they are being observed.
d) when researchers do not participate in the activity being observed but sit on
the sidelines and watch.

14. Which of the following is not an advantage of content analysis?

a) it is unobtrusive
b) it is useful as a means of analyzing interview and observational data
c) the researcher can delve into records and documents to get some feel for the
social life of an earlier time
d) it is limited to recorded information

15. Researchers who focus on the study of culture take which approach to qualitative
research?
a) grounded theory
b) phenomenology
c) case study
d) ethnography
16. Which concept is the sum of a social group's observable patterns of behavior,
customs, and ways of life and comprises the ideas, beliefs, and knowledge that
characterize a particular group?
a) holistic outlook
b) culture
c) contextualization
d) emic perspective

17. When an ethnographic researcher presents the external, scientific objective

perspective on reality, she provides
a) emic perspective.
b) contextualization.
c) etic perspective.
d) description of culture.

18. When an ethnographic researcher presents an insider's perspective of reality, he

provides
a) etic perspective.
b) emic perspective.
c) description of culture.
d) contextualization.

19. Of the following questions, which one does not lend itself to action research in
schools?
a) How can academic content be presented so as to maximize understanding?

b) How can teachers encourage students to think about important issues?

c) How can parents become more involved in their child's education?
d) How did students in the nineteenth century travel to school?

20. Which is not a characteristic of Participatory Action Research?

a) it intends to empower individuals and groups
b) it emphasizes collaboration
c) it intends to result in social change
d) it is not subject to political pressures
 Section 2: Article Review

Directions: Select one of following articles, download it from the library, and answer the
questions below in narrative form (note: Some questions may not be relevant to the study
you select. Use the questions as guidelines for the review.).

Flowerday, T. & Schraw, G. (2000). Teacher Beliefs About Instructional Choice: A

Phenomenological Study. Journal of Educational Psychology. 92, 634-645.
Geist, E. & Aldridge, J. (2002) The Developmental Progression of Children’s Oral Story
Inventions. Journal of Instructional Technology. 19, 33-39.
Hendrix, K. (1998) Student Perceptions of the Influence of Race on Professor Credibility
Journal of Black Studies, Vol. 28, No. 6. pp. 738-763.
Ladany, N., O’Brien, K., et al. (1997). Sexual Attraction Toward Clients, Use Of
Supervision, And Prior Training: A Qualitative Study Of Predoctoral Psychology
interns. Journal of Counseling Psychology. 44, 413-424.
Pitney W A, Ilsley P, Rintala J. (2002) The Professional Socialization Of Certified
Athletic Trainers In The National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I
Context. Journal of Athletic Training. 37:63–70.
Ungar, Michael T. (2000). The Myth Of Peer Pressure. Adolescence. (35)137
Wolfe, P. (1997). A Really Good Teacher Would Be Like You, Mrs. C.: A Qualitative
Study of a Teacher and Her Artistically Gifted Middle School Students. 38, 232-
245.

Study Overview
1. What are the aims of the study?
2. What are the key findings of the study?
3. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the study and theory, policy and practice
implications?

Study, Setting, Sample and Ethics

Phenomena
4. What is being studied?
5. Is sufficient detail given of the nature of the phenomena under study?

Theory
6. What theoretical framework guides or informs the study?

Setting
7. Within what geographical and care setting is the study carried out?
8. What is the rationale for choosing this setting?
9. Is the setting appropriate and/or sufficiently specific for examination of the research
question?

Sample
10. How is the sample (content, events, persons, times and settings) selected? (For
example, purposive, convenience, etc.)
11. Is the sample (informants, settings and events) appropriate to the aims of the study?

Outcomes
12. What outcome criteria are used in the study?
13. Whose perspectives are addressed (professional, service, user, career)?

Ethics
14. Have ethical issues been adequately addressed? How?

Data Collection
15. What data collection methods are used to obtain and record the data? (For example,
provide insight into: data collected, appropriateness and availability for independent
analysis)
16. Is the information collected with sufficient detail and depth to provide insight into the
meaning and perceptions of informants?
17. Is the process of fieldwork adequately described? (For example, account of how the
data were elicited; type and range of questions; interview guide; length and timing of
observation work; note taking)
18. What role does the researcher adopt within the setting?
19. Is there evidence of reflexivity, that is, providing insight into the relationship between
the researcher, setting, data production and analysis?

Data Analysis

20. How were the data analyzed?

21. How adequate is the description of the data analysis? (For example, to allow
reproduction; steps taken to guard against confirmation bias)
22. Is adequate evidence provided to support the analysis? (For example, includes
original / raw data extracts; evidence of iterative analysis; representative evidence
presented; efforts to establish validity - searching for negative evidence, use of multiple
sources, data triangulation); reliability / consistency (over researchers, time and settings;
checking back with informants over interpretation)
23. Are the findings interpreted within the context of other studies and theory?

Researcher Bias

24. Are the researcher's own position, assumptions and possible biases outlined? (Indicate
how those could affect the study, in particular, the analysis and interpretation of the data)
Practice implications
25. To what setting are the study findings generalizable? (For example, is the setting
typical or representative of other settings and in what respects? If the setting is atypical,
will this present a stronger or weaker test of the hypothesis?)
26. To what population are the study’s findings generalizable?
27. Is the conclusion justified given the conduct of the study (For example, sampling
procedure; measures of outcome used and results achieved?)