Test Bank For The Process of Social Research 2nd
Edition By Jeffrey C. Dixon
Exploratory Research - ANSWER:seeks to find out how people get along in the setting
under questions, what meanings they give to their actions, and what issues concern
them; frequently involves qualitative methods, Marketing research to gather
preliminary information that will help define problems and suggest hypotheses
Descriptive Research - ANSWER:defining and describing social phenomena of
interest is a part of almost any research investigation. Descriptive research involves
the gathering of facts. Measurement and sampling are central concerns; survey
research is often used for descriptive purposes., Marketing research that gathers
specific information related to the identified issue
Explanatory research - ANSWER:seeks to identify causes and effects of social
phenomena and to predict how one phenomenon will change or vary in response to
variation in some other phenomenon, a marketing research design used to
understand the relationship between independent and dependent variables.
Evaluation research - ANSWER:involves searching for practical knowledge in
considering the implementation and effects of social policies and the impact of
programs; frequently referred to as program evaluation or practice evaluation,
Research undertaken for the purpose of determining the impact of some social
intervention, such as a program aimed at solving a social problem.
Difference between Quantitative and Qualitative Research - ANSWER:quantitative
designs use numbers to give meaning to a phenomenon or an event, and qualitative
designs rely on words.
Quantitative Research - ANSWER:Methods such as surveys and experiments that
record variation in social life in terms of categories that vary in amount. Data that
are treated as quantitative are either numbers or attributes that can be ordered in
terms of magnitude.
, A formal, objective, systematic research process to describe, test relationships, or
examine cause-and-effect interactions among variables
Qualitative Research - ANSWER:Methods such as participant observation, intensive
interviewing, and focus groups that are designed to capture social life as participants
experience it, rather than in categories predetermined by the researcher. Data that
are treated as qualitative are mostly written or spoken words or observations that do
not have a direct numerical interpretation.
, *emphasis on words and feelings; *research problems/methods evolve as
understanding of topic increases; *smaller sample sizes; *relies on categorizing &
organizing data into themes or patterns to describe & synthesize the data; *high
, level interaction with subjects; *many possible contexts & meanings for different
people; *subjective by nature
Inductive Research - ANSWER:start by collecting data and then developing theory
that explains patterns in the data; begins with specific data which are then used to
develop (induce) a general explanation (a theory) to account for the data. , First
collecting data and then developing a theory that explains patterns in the data
(inductive = in the data first)
Deductive Research - ANSWER:starting with social theory and testing some of its
implications with data; research that starts with social theory and testing some of its
implications with data, the type of research in which a specific expectation is
deduced from a general premise and is then tested
Hypothesis - ANSWER:a tentative statement about empirical reality, involving a
relationship between two or more variables. Ex: The higher the levels of armed
conflict in a community, the higher the percentage of child soldiers.
, A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Independent Variable - ANSWER:a variable that is hypothesized to cause, or lead to,
variation in another variable; ex. Level of armed conflict, The experimental factor
that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied, (statistics) a variable
whose values are independent of changes in the values of other variables
Dependent Variable - ANSWER:a variable that is hypothesized to vary depending on
or under the influence of another variable; ex. percentage of child soldiers,
(statistics) a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value depends in
the independent variable, The outcome factor; the variable that may change in
response to manipulations of the independent variable.
Vaildity - ANSWER:the goal of social work research. When our statements or
conclusions about empirical reality are correct.
, the extent to which a test measures or predicts what its supposed to do
Reliability - ANSWER:The degree of accuracy, precision, or consistency in results of a
measuring instrument, including the ability to produce the same results when the
same variable is measured more than once or repeated applications of the same test
on the same individual produce the same measurement. The degree to which
individual differences on scores or in data are due either to true differences or to
errors in measurement
, Ability of a test to yield very similar scores for the same individual over repeated
testings
Social Work Research Question - ANSWER:a question that you seek to answer
through the collection and analysis of firsthand, verifiable, empirical data.
Identifying social work research questions - personal experience, field practicum,
other researches, social theory, pragmatic sources
Edition By Jeffrey C. Dixon
Exploratory Research - ANSWER:seeks to find out how people get along in the setting
under questions, what meanings they give to their actions, and what issues concern
them; frequently involves qualitative methods, Marketing research to gather
preliminary information that will help define problems and suggest hypotheses
Descriptive Research - ANSWER:defining and describing social phenomena of
interest is a part of almost any research investigation. Descriptive research involves
the gathering of facts. Measurement and sampling are central concerns; survey
research is often used for descriptive purposes., Marketing research that gathers
specific information related to the identified issue
Explanatory research - ANSWER:seeks to identify causes and effects of social
phenomena and to predict how one phenomenon will change or vary in response to
variation in some other phenomenon, a marketing research design used to
understand the relationship between independent and dependent variables.
Evaluation research - ANSWER:involves searching for practical knowledge in
considering the implementation and effects of social policies and the impact of
programs; frequently referred to as program evaluation or practice evaluation,
Research undertaken for the purpose of determining the impact of some social
intervention, such as a program aimed at solving a social problem.
Difference between Quantitative and Qualitative Research - ANSWER:quantitative
designs use numbers to give meaning to a phenomenon or an event, and qualitative
designs rely on words.
Quantitative Research - ANSWER:Methods such as surveys and experiments that
record variation in social life in terms of categories that vary in amount. Data that
are treated as quantitative are either numbers or attributes that can be ordered in
terms of magnitude.
, A formal, objective, systematic research process to describe, test relationships, or
examine cause-and-effect interactions among variables
Qualitative Research - ANSWER:Methods such as participant observation, intensive
interviewing, and focus groups that are designed to capture social life as participants
experience it, rather than in categories predetermined by the researcher. Data that
are treated as qualitative are mostly written or spoken words or observations that do
not have a direct numerical interpretation.
, *emphasis on words and feelings; *research problems/methods evolve as
understanding of topic increases; *smaller sample sizes; *relies on categorizing &
organizing data into themes or patterns to describe & synthesize the data; *high
, level interaction with subjects; *many possible contexts & meanings for different
people; *subjective by nature
Inductive Research - ANSWER:start by collecting data and then developing theory
that explains patterns in the data; begins with specific data which are then used to
develop (induce) a general explanation (a theory) to account for the data. , First
collecting data and then developing a theory that explains patterns in the data
(inductive = in the data first)
Deductive Research - ANSWER:starting with social theory and testing some of its
implications with data; research that starts with social theory and testing some of its
implications with data, the type of research in which a specific expectation is
deduced from a general premise and is then tested
Hypothesis - ANSWER:a tentative statement about empirical reality, involving a
relationship between two or more variables. Ex: The higher the levels of armed
conflict in a community, the higher the percentage of child soldiers.
, A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
Independent Variable - ANSWER:a variable that is hypothesized to cause, or lead to,
variation in another variable; ex. Level of armed conflict, The experimental factor
that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied, (statistics) a variable
whose values are independent of changes in the values of other variables
Dependent Variable - ANSWER:a variable that is hypothesized to vary depending on
or under the influence of another variable; ex. percentage of child soldiers,
(statistics) a variable in a logical or mathematical expression whose value depends in
the independent variable, The outcome factor; the variable that may change in
response to manipulations of the independent variable.
Vaildity - ANSWER:the goal of social work research. When our statements or
conclusions about empirical reality are correct.
, the extent to which a test measures or predicts what its supposed to do
Reliability - ANSWER:The degree of accuracy, precision, or consistency in results of a
measuring instrument, including the ability to produce the same results when the
same variable is measured more than once or repeated applications of the same test
on the same individual produce the same measurement. The degree to which
individual differences on scores or in data are due either to true differences or to
errors in measurement
, Ability of a test to yield very similar scores for the same individual over repeated
testings
Social Work Research Question - ANSWER:a question that you seek to answer
through the collection and analysis of firsthand, verifiable, empirical data.
Identifying social work research questions - personal experience, field practicum,
other researches, social theory, pragmatic sources
