J494 MIDTERM TEST EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE
Epistemology
How do we know what we know
method of tenacity, method of intuition, method of authority, scientific method
Qualitative
"soft" data (usually inductive)
uncontrolled, subjective, random observation
usually open-ended, free response, unstructured
usually valid but not "reliable"
rarely "projectable" to larger audiences
generally uses nonrandom samples
Quantitative
"hard" data (usually deductive)
controlled, objective, systematic observation
usually closed-ended, forced choice, highly structured
validity and reliability can be measured
usually very "projectable" to large audiences
generally uses random samples
Qualitative examples
case studies, focus groups, participant observation, interviews, ethnography, thematic
analysis, historical analysis
Quantitative examples
surveys, experiments, content analysis, meta-analysis
Theory
a set of related propositions that present a systematic view of phenomena by specifying
relationships among concepts
comes from research and hypotheses (drawn from observation)
unit of analysis
The focus of your study
Is what you will observe
individuals, social groups, social organizations, social artifacts
Errors in Inquiry
People make inaccurate observations
People may overgeneralize
Overgeneralization leads to selective observation
Illogical reasoning can lead to errors in acquiring knowledge.
Layout of a journal article
Secondary Research
information previously compiled for other purposes that can be adapted for your needs
Secondary Research Sources
, news clippings (Lexis-Nexis)
Google Scholar
Google
Archives/historical documents
academic journals
statistical databases/research organizations
PR/Ad trade websites
case studies
org's website
govt sources
Primary Research sources
direct evidence
first hand account
you do the research
Primary Research
something you do on your own
need to keep in mind how much time you have, the cost of what you need to do,
accessibility to resources
you have control over what you are finding
Qualitative Research Strengths
see through the lens of the target people
could be good for understanding why and investigating process
Qualitative Research Weaknesses
communication setting must be accessible
meaning's filtered through researcher
time consuming
difficult to generalize findings
Quantitative Research Strengths
Tradition implies rigor
generalizations of findings
important during process and evaluation stages
Quantitative Research Limitations
cannot capture complexity of communication
difficult to apply to outside of controlled environment
limited to answer choices
informal research
offer an in-depth understanding of how people or organizations think and operate
provide an ability to understand comprehensively how specific members of the
population feel about questions of value
provide a richer context to which the findings of formal research can be better explained
Credibility of informal research
how interpretations can be validated
not reliable
creditable must be explained by the researcher
triangulation
Advantages of informal research
ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE
Epistemology
How do we know what we know
method of tenacity, method of intuition, method of authority, scientific method
Qualitative
"soft" data (usually inductive)
uncontrolled, subjective, random observation
usually open-ended, free response, unstructured
usually valid but not "reliable"
rarely "projectable" to larger audiences
generally uses nonrandom samples
Quantitative
"hard" data (usually deductive)
controlled, objective, systematic observation
usually closed-ended, forced choice, highly structured
validity and reliability can be measured
usually very "projectable" to large audiences
generally uses random samples
Qualitative examples
case studies, focus groups, participant observation, interviews, ethnography, thematic
analysis, historical analysis
Quantitative examples
surveys, experiments, content analysis, meta-analysis
Theory
a set of related propositions that present a systematic view of phenomena by specifying
relationships among concepts
comes from research and hypotheses (drawn from observation)
unit of analysis
The focus of your study
Is what you will observe
individuals, social groups, social organizations, social artifacts
Errors in Inquiry
People make inaccurate observations
People may overgeneralize
Overgeneralization leads to selective observation
Illogical reasoning can lead to errors in acquiring knowledge.
Layout of a journal article
Secondary Research
information previously compiled for other purposes that can be adapted for your needs
Secondary Research Sources
, news clippings (Lexis-Nexis)
Google Scholar
Archives/historical documents
academic journals
statistical databases/research organizations
PR/Ad trade websites
case studies
org's website
govt sources
Primary Research sources
direct evidence
first hand account
you do the research
Primary Research
something you do on your own
need to keep in mind how much time you have, the cost of what you need to do,
accessibility to resources
you have control over what you are finding
Qualitative Research Strengths
see through the lens of the target people
could be good for understanding why and investigating process
Qualitative Research Weaknesses
communication setting must be accessible
meaning's filtered through researcher
time consuming
difficult to generalize findings
Quantitative Research Strengths
Tradition implies rigor
generalizations of findings
important during process and evaluation stages
Quantitative Research Limitations
cannot capture complexity of communication
difficult to apply to outside of controlled environment
limited to answer choices
informal research
offer an in-depth understanding of how people or organizations think and operate
provide an ability to understand comprehensively how specific members of the
population feel about questions of value
provide a richer context to which the findings of formal research can be better explained
Credibility of informal research
how interpretations can be validated
not reliable
creditable must be explained by the researcher
triangulation
Advantages of informal research
