All Chapters Reverse
Chapter 16
1) What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all quantitative
approaches?
Answer:
Advantages of quantitative approaches—scientific/positivist:
Objective facts are collected by value-free researchers.
The pursuit of truth is achieved through the testing of causal hypotheses.
Quantitative techniques allow for probability sampling (the issue of
representativeness).
Concepts can be measured in quantifiable terms (standardization).
The results can often be replicated because the techniques lend themselves to
checks of reliability and validity.
Disadvantages of quantitative approaches—scientific/positivist:
Topics of social science are not appropriate for purely “scientific”
inquiry.
Understanding the social world requires an in-depth understanding of the
meaning that individuals attribute to their interactions and their surroundings—
something that cannot be achieved by effectively reducing human behaviour to a
series of “laws” and properties to be unearthed.
Diff: 7
Type: ES
Page Reference: 345-346
Skill: 4. Expresses familiarity with the range of acceptable techniques/methods in social
research
Objective: 1. Explain the overall advantages and disadvantages of the quantitative
approaches.
2) What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all qualitative
approaches?
,Answer:
Advantages of qualitative approaches—interpretive:
Qualitative approaches give a voice to research participants.
Participants are not constrained by categories as they can be in quantitative
approaches like surveys.
In-depth understanding is possible with qualitative approaches.
Disadvantages of qualitative approaches—interpretive:
Validity and reliability is a problem with qualitative approaches.
The researcher must often become immersed in the people and situations that he
or she is studying, which leads to problems of subjectivity and bias (it may be
difficult for the researcher to take a strictly objective position when he or she is
so closely involved with research participants).
Qualitative studies can be very limited in their scope.
Qualitative approaches are generally labour intensive and often quite costly to
undertake.
Diff: 7
Type: ES
Page Reference: 351-352
Skill: 4. Expresses familiarity with the range of acceptable techniques/methods in social
research
Objective: 3. Explain the overall advantages and disadvantages of the qualitative
approaches.
3) Discuss the kinds of decisions a researcher must make in terms of sequential and
concurrent data collection and analysis when designing a mixed methods study. What
procedures must be followed?
Answer:
, Sequential data collection: When a qualitative/quantitative preference exists, the
ordering of the research methods used in the study is called sequential data
collection.
A study that gives priority to qualitative methods would use a sequential
qualitative, then quantitative design.
A study giving priority to quantitative methods would use a sequential
quantitative, then qualitative design.
Sequential data analysis: The first part of a mixed methods project is analyzed prior to
the next stage of a mixed methods study.
Concurrent data collection: Research designs that give no priority to either qualitative or
quantitative; qualitative and quantitative data are collected at the same time.
Concurrent data analysis: The data that are collected during the quantitative and
qualitative phases of a study are analyzed together and at the same time.
Diff: 6
Type: ES
Page Reference: 357-358
Skill: 05. Shows an awareness of appropriate research procedures/processes for diverse
situations
Objective: 5. Identify the stages of mixed methods research.
4) Compare and contrast the development of theory in mixed methods research. What
determines how theory is generated in sequential mixed methods studies and in
concurrent mixed methods studies?
Answer:
Theory in Sequential Mixed Methods Studies
If a researcher begins a sequential mixed methods study with a qualitative
investigation, then he or she should give priority to qualitative data and generate
theory that is grounded in the data.
If a researcher begins a sequential mixed methods study with a quantitative
investigation, then he or she should give priority to quantitative methods and
generate theory that explains and tests the data.
, If the theory is supported in a quantitative analysis, the qualitative portion of the
study can be used to elaborate upon parts of the theory that perhaps were not
fully tested using the quantitative techniques that were chosen.
If the theory was not supported by the quantitative analysis, the qualitative
techniques could be used to refine the theory.
Theory in Concurrent Mixed Methods Studies
If a researcher is using qualitative and quantitative methods at the same time, it
would be logical to assume that one approach would be oriented toward
deductive theorizing and the other to inductive theorizing.
Otherwise, there is really no one answer to this apparent conundrum.
Diff: 6
Type: ES
Page Reference: 357-361
Skill: 05. Shows awareness of appropriate research procedures/processes for diverse
situations
Objective: 5. Identify the stages of mixed methods research.
5) What happens if, while using a mixed methods research design, a researcher obtains
conflicting results in the qualitative and quantitative parts of a mixed methods study?
What possibilities exist for a researcher if the results appear to be contradictory or do not
agree with each other?
Answer:
In order to resolve conflicting results, one possibility is to prioritize one method over
another (epistemic prioritization) but this would seem like a waste of time since it would
negate the whole point of having used mixed methods research in the first place.
The best approach to take when contradictory findings are obtained in the qualitative and
quantitative portions of a mixed methods study is to carefully reanalyze the data to
investigate the reasons behind the contradictions.
Failing all else, it may prove useful to ask other researchers with a “fresh set of
eyes” to look at the data and check to see if they can offer any insights.
Diff: 5
Type: ES
Page Reference: 362
Chapter 16
1) What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all quantitative
approaches?
Answer:
Advantages of quantitative approaches—scientific/positivist:
Objective facts are collected by value-free researchers.
The pursuit of truth is achieved through the testing of causal hypotheses.
Quantitative techniques allow for probability sampling (the issue of
representativeness).
Concepts can be measured in quantifiable terms (standardization).
The results can often be replicated because the techniques lend themselves to
checks of reliability and validity.
Disadvantages of quantitative approaches—scientific/positivist:
Topics of social science are not appropriate for purely “scientific”
inquiry.
Understanding the social world requires an in-depth understanding of the
meaning that individuals attribute to their interactions and their surroundings—
something that cannot be achieved by effectively reducing human behaviour to a
series of “laws” and properties to be unearthed.
Diff: 7
Type: ES
Page Reference: 345-346
Skill: 4. Expresses familiarity with the range of acceptable techniques/methods in social
research
Objective: 1. Explain the overall advantages and disadvantages of the quantitative
approaches.
2) What are the major advantages and disadvantages common to all qualitative
approaches?
,Answer:
Advantages of qualitative approaches—interpretive:
Qualitative approaches give a voice to research participants.
Participants are not constrained by categories as they can be in quantitative
approaches like surveys.
In-depth understanding is possible with qualitative approaches.
Disadvantages of qualitative approaches—interpretive:
Validity and reliability is a problem with qualitative approaches.
The researcher must often become immersed in the people and situations that he
or she is studying, which leads to problems of subjectivity and bias (it may be
difficult for the researcher to take a strictly objective position when he or she is
so closely involved with research participants).
Qualitative studies can be very limited in their scope.
Qualitative approaches are generally labour intensive and often quite costly to
undertake.
Diff: 7
Type: ES
Page Reference: 351-352
Skill: 4. Expresses familiarity with the range of acceptable techniques/methods in social
research
Objective: 3. Explain the overall advantages and disadvantages of the qualitative
approaches.
3) Discuss the kinds of decisions a researcher must make in terms of sequential and
concurrent data collection and analysis when designing a mixed methods study. What
procedures must be followed?
Answer:
, Sequential data collection: When a qualitative/quantitative preference exists, the
ordering of the research methods used in the study is called sequential data
collection.
A study that gives priority to qualitative methods would use a sequential
qualitative, then quantitative design.
A study giving priority to quantitative methods would use a sequential
quantitative, then qualitative design.
Sequential data analysis: The first part of a mixed methods project is analyzed prior to
the next stage of a mixed methods study.
Concurrent data collection: Research designs that give no priority to either qualitative or
quantitative; qualitative and quantitative data are collected at the same time.
Concurrent data analysis: The data that are collected during the quantitative and
qualitative phases of a study are analyzed together and at the same time.
Diff: 6
Type: ES
Page Reference: 357-358
Skill: 05. Shows an awareness of appropriate research procedures/processes for diverse
situations
Objective: 5. Identify the stages of mixed methods research.
4) Compare and contrast the development of theory in mixed methods research. What
determines how theory is generated in sequential mixed methods studies and in
concurrent mixed methods studies?
Answer:
Theory in Sequential Mixed Methods Studies
If a researcher begins a sequential mixed methods study with a qualitative
investigation, then he or she should give priority to qualitative data and generate
theory that is grounded in the data.
If a researcher begins a sequential mixed methods study with a quantitative
investigation, then he or she should give priority to quantitative methods and
generate theory that explains and tests the data.
, If the theory is supported in a quantitative analysis, the qualitative portion of the
study can be used to elaborate upon parts of the theory that perhaps were not
fully tested using the quantitative techniques that were chosen.
If the theory was not supported by the quantitative analysis, the qualitative
techniques could be used to refine the theory.
Theory in Concurrent Mixed Methods Studies
If a researcher is using qualitative and quantitative methods at the same time, it
would be logical to assume that one approach would be oriented toward
deductive theorizing and the other to inductive theorizing.
Otherwise, there is really no one answer to this apparent conundrum.
Diff: 6
Type: ES
Page Reference: 357-361
Skill: 05. Shows awareness of appropriate research procedures/processes for diverse
situations
Objective: 5. Identify the stages of mixed methods research.
5) What happens if, while using a mixed methods research design, a researcher obtains
conflicting results in the qualitative and quantitative parts of a mixed methods study?
What possibilities exist for a researcher if the results appear to be contradictory or do not
agree with each other?
Answer:
In order to resolve conflicting results, one possibility is to prioritize one method over
another (epistemic prioritization) but this would seem like a waste of time since it would
negate the whole point of having used mixed methods research in the first place.
The best approach to take when contradictory findings are obtained in the qualitative and
quantitative portions of a mixed methods study is to carefully reanalyze the data to
investigate the reasons behind the contradictions.
Failing all else, it may prove useful to ask other researchers with a “fresh set of
eyes” to look at the data and check to see if they can offer any insights.
Diff: 5
Type: ES
Page Reference: 362
