Research methodology MCQ Quiz - Objective Question with Answer for Research methodology - Download Free PDF

Correct Answer: 3) Experimental research

Key Points

•  Option 1: Grounded theory is a qualitative research methodology that involves generating theory from data. It is typically associated with constructivism, which emphasizes the subjective and contextual nature of knowledge.
• Option 2: Ethnography is a qualitative research methodology that involves in-depth observation and study of a particular culture or group. It is also associated with constructivism and interpretivism, which emphasize the importance of understanding the meanings and interpretations of people in their own contexts.
• Option 3: Experimental research is a quantitative research methodology that involves manipulating variables and observing their effects under controlled conditions. It is closely aligned with positivism, which emphasizes objective observation, empirical evidence, and hypothesis testing.
• Option 4: Phenomenological research is a qualitative research methodology that focuses on understanding the lived experiences of individuals. It is associated with phenomenology, which emphasizes the subjective and experiential aspects of human consciousness.

Therefore, experimental research, with its emphasis on manipulation, control, and hypothesis testing, is the most closely associated with the positivist philosophical framework.

The correct answer is (2) Qualitative research emphasizes depth and understanding, while quantitative research focuses on breadth and generalization.

Key Points

• Qualitative and quantitative research are two distinct approaches to conducting research that differ in their goals, methods, and outcomes.
• Qualitative research is primarily concerned with gaining a deep and nuanced understanding of phenomena, exploring complex social and cultural issues, and uncovering the lived experiences of individuals or groups. It often utilizes open-ended methods such as interviews, observations, and focus groups to collect rich and detailed data. Qualitative research is inductive, meaning it generates hypotheses and theories from the data collected rather than testing pre-existing hypotheses.
• Quantitative research, on the other hand, is focused on measuring and analyzing numerical data to draw generalizable conclusions about populations or phenomena. It employs structured methods such as surveys, experiments, and statistical analysis to collect and analyze quantitative data. Quantitative research is deductive, meaning it tests pre-existing hypotheses or theories using empirical data.

The statement (2) Qualitative research emphasizes depth and understanding, while quantitative research focuses on breadth and generalization. accurately captures the fundamental distinction between these two research approaches. Qualitative research seeks to delve into the intricacies of human experiences, emotions, and motivations, while quantitative research aims to quantify patterns, trends, and relationships among variables.

Additional Information

•  Qualitative research is exploratory and inductive, while quantitative research is confirmatory and deductive. While this statement highlights the inductive nature of qualitative research and the deductive nature of quantitative research, it oversimplifies their roles. Qualitative research can also be confirmatory in the sense of verifying or refining existing theories, and quantitative research can be exploratory in the sense of identifying new patterns or relationships.
• Qualitative research is primarily concerned with understanding individual experiences, while quantitative research is focused on measuring and comparing variables. While this statement partially reflects the focus of qualitative research on individual experiences, it overlooks its ability to examine broader social and cultural phenomena. Quantitative research, while primarily focused on variables, can also involve studying individual experiences and behaviors.
•  Qualitative research is subjective and value-laden, while quantitative research is objective and neutral. While qualitative research is inherently subjective due to the involvement of personal interpretation and researcher subjectivity, it can still produce rigorous and reliable findings. Quantitative research, while aiming for objectivity, is not entirely value-free, as the selection of variables, research questions, and analytical methods can reflect the researcher's values and perspectives.

In essence, qualitative and quantitative research represent complementary approaches to understanding the world, each with its own strengths and limitations. Qualitative research provides in-depth insights into the complexities of human experiences, while quantitative research offers broader generalizations and statistical insights. The choice of research method depends on the specific research question, the type of data required, and the desired level of understanding.

When evaluating the validity of a research study, it's crucial to consider all four factors mentioned: the credibility of the researcher, the significance of the research findings, the internal consistency of the data, and the external applicability of the findings.

Key Points

• The credibility of the researcher: The researcher's expertise, experience, and reputation in the field of study significantly impact the credibility of the research. A researcher with a strong track record of producing high-quality research is more likely to produce valid findings.
• The significance of the research findings: The research findings should address a meaningful question and contribute to the existing body of knowledge in the field. The findings should also be relevant to the target audience and have the potential to improve practices or understandings in the area of study.
• The internal consistency of the data: The data collected in the research study should be internally consistent, meaning that the findings should make sense within the context of the study and support each other. Inconsistencies or contradictions within the data raise questions about the validity of the study's conclusions.
• The external applicability of the findings: The findings of the research study should have the potential to be applied beyond the specific context of the study. The researcher should consider the generalizability of the findings and discuss the limitations of the study in terms of its applicability to other populations or contexts.

Additional Information

In addition to these four factors, other aspects of the research design, methodology, and analysis should also be carefully evaluated to ensure the validity of the study. These include:

• The appropriateness of the research design: The chosen research design should be suitable for addressing the research questions and the type of data being collected.
• The quality of data collection and measurement: The data collection methods should be rigorous and unbiased, and the measurement tools or techniques used should be reliable and valid.
• The rigor of data analysis: The data analysis procedures should be appropriate for the type of data and the research questions, and the findings should be supported by sound statistical methods.
• The clarity and transparency of reporting: The research report should be clearly written, well-structured, and transparent in its methods, findings, and limitations.

The correct answer is 2. A self-reflective account of personal experiences to understand broader social issues.

 Key Points

• Autoethnography is a qualitative research method that uses the researcher's own personal experiences to explore and understand broader social issues. It is a form of self-reflection that involves the researcher writing about their own experiences in a way that connects them to the larger social context.

Key characteristics of autoethnography:

• Self-reflexivity: The researcher actively engages in self-reflection throughout the research process, critically examining their own experiences, biases, and assumptions. This process of self-awareness helps to ensure that the researcher's personal experiences are not presented as objective truth but rather as a partial and subjective account.
• Interpretive: Autoethnography is not simply a collection of personal stories; it involves interpretation and analysis of the researcher's experiences in order to uncover broader social, cultural, and political meanings.
• Connective: Autoethnography seeks to connect the researcher's personal experiences to the experiences of others, demonstrating how individual experiences are shaped by broader cultural and social forces.
• Evocative: Autoethnography often uses vivid and evocative language to create a compelling and engaging narrative that draws the reader into the researcher's world.

Additional Information

•  A systematic study of a particular group or culture: This is the definition of ethnography, which is a broader research method that can be used to study any group or culture. Autoethnography is a specific type of ethnography that focuses on the researcher's own experiences.
• A critical analysis of historical events and their impact on the present: This is the definition of historiography, which is the study of history. Autoethnography is not typically used to analyze historical events, although it can sometimes draw on historical research to inform its analysis of contemporary social issues.
•  A quantitative study of statistical data to draw conclusions: This is the definition of quantitative research, which uses numerical data to study social phenomena. Autoethnography is a qualitative research method that does not use numerical data.

A hypothesis is a tentative or proposed explanation for a phenomenon or observation.

Key Points

• It is a statement that can be tested through research and is typically formulated as a testable prediction.
• Hypotheses are the starting point of research because they provide a framework for designing and conducting research studies.
• They guide the researcher in collecting data, analyzing results, and drawing conclusions.

Hint

• Results are the data collected during the research process. 
• The conclusion is the final statement of the research study, summarizing the findings and drawing interpretations from the results.

Therefore, the correct answer is hypothesis. 

Research is a systematic inquiry towards understanding a complex social phenomenon or a process. They are broadly categorized into qualitative and quantitative research. Based on the research problem, the selection of research methods by the researcher may vary.
Key Points

Positivistic Research Paradigm:

A research paradigm is a research model or a perceptual orientation for conducting research that has been verified by the research community.

• Emphasizes quantitative analysis over qualitative analysis
• Relies heavily on experimentation
• Subscribes to pre-existing categories
• Hypotheses are put forward about the causal relation between phenomena
• Empirical evidence is gathered and analysed that explains the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable
• Employs a deductive approach to analyse data
• Collects numerical data

Important Points

Features of Qualitative Research:

• The objective is to explore a phenomenon to gain understanding by diving deeper into the problem
• Used qualitative methods of data collection such as interviews, focus groups, observation, etc.
• The sample size is kept small
• Believes in interpretivism paradigm and disregards the positivist assumptions and statistical data analysis
• Inductive reasoning is employe where things are observed, a pattern is developed and then the theory is formed
• The conclusions are descriptive rather than predictive.

Hence, it is clear from the given points that qualitative research avoids positivist assumptions and data analysis.

the most appropriate answer is (B), (C), (D) only.

Important Points

Case study method:

• The case study method is known for its particularistic approach, meaning it focuses on a specific case or situation.
• It is also descriptive in nature, providing detailed information about the case.
• The case study method is also considered to be inductive, as it involves drawing conclusions based on observations and evidence.

Case study:

• A case in a case study research could be an individual, organization, or institution.
• It is concerned with the in-depth study of a singular case (one person) from various possible angles for the sake of promoting his/her adjustment
• It is a qualitative research method that involves investigating a contemporary research problem within its real-life context by making use of multiple sources of data.
• It seeks to explore an area regarding which there is little understanding or prior knowledge.
• The data sources in a case study include data regarding the family and educational background and the primary data collection methods employed are observation and conducting interviews.     ​

Key Points

The case study method in research is a qualitative approach that involves the in-depth examination of a specific case or situation. It is used to gain a deeper understanding of a particular phenomenon. Some key points about the case study method include:

• Particularistic: The case study method focuses on a specific case or situation, rather than trying to generalize to a larger population.

• Descriptive: The case study provides a detailed description of the case, including relevant background information, context, and relevant data.

• Inductive: The case study method is inductive in nature, meaning that it involves drawing conclusions based on observations and evidence.

• Flexible: The case study method is flexible, allowing the researcher to gather a wide range of data, including interviews, observations, and documents.

• Multiple sources of evidence: The case study method often involves collecting data from multiple sources, including the subjects of the study, witnesses, and relevant documents.

• Interpretive: The case study method requires an interpretive approach, as the researcher must analyze and interpret the data collected.

Research methodology refers to the techniques used to find and analyze information for a study, ensuring that the results are valid and reliable and that they address the research objective. It is the theoretical paradigm for data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

Important PointsResearch Methodology:

• Research methodology is a way of explaining how a researcher intends to carry out their research.
• It's a logical, systematic plan to resolve a research problem.
• A methodology details a researcher's approach to the research to ensure reliable, valid results that address their aims and objectives.
• It encompasses what data they're going to collect and where from, as well as how it's being collected and analyzed.

​​Therefore, the term "research methodology" refers to the methods used in data collection and analysis.

Additional Information

For example, steps involved in research methodology by the researcher.

• What data to collect (and what data to ignore)
• Who to collect it from (in research, this is called “sampling design”)
• How to collect it (this is called “data collection methods”)
• How to analyze it (this is called “data analysis methods”)

An experimental method of research is a type of study in which the researcher speculates on the possible reasons for a previously observed result.

Key Points

Experimental research:

• The experimental method involves manipulating one variable to determine if changes in one variable cause changes in another variable.
• This method relies on controlled methods, random assignment, and the manipulation of variables to test a hypothesis.
• The experimental method under which the researcher can directly modify the independent variable(s) (that is, the cause) in an experimental study to see how it affects the dependent variable (that is, the effect).

Therefore, Experimental method research methods, the process of hypothesis testing optimally safeguards the role of extraneous variables. 

Additional Information

• Both experimental and ex-post facto research attempt to study links between existent variables and their conclusions are logically as well as empirically valid and accurate, but there is various difference between them.
• Ex post facto research is undertaken when a researcher wishes to investigate the cause of an event that has already occurred as an outcome of the cause.
• The phrase historical method refers to a set of strategies and rules used by historians in their investigation and writing of past histories.
• Descriptive Survey Research is a type of descriptive research that combines quantitative and qualitative data to give you reliable and relevant facts. 

Qualitative research is research using methods such as participant observation or case studies which result in a narrative, descriptive account of a setting or practice. Sociologists using these methods typically reject positivism and adopt a form of interpretive sociology.

Important Points

• Qualitative research aims to study things in their natural setting to make sense of a phenomenon in terms of meanings people bring to them.
• It doesn't involve any form of intervention or a method to manipulate the studied environment.
• Qualitative research uses observation as the data collection method. Observation is the selection and recording of behaviors of people in their environment.
• It aims to describe variation, explain relationships, describe behaviour, experiences and norms of individuals and groups.
• Qualitative research help the researchers to use thick description, meaning thereby that, since the data collected by the participants involve the responses, experiences, interpretations, phenomena and rituals they follow. The description of the events, processes, phenomena, the interview and discussion with the participants should be thoroughly mentioned by the researcher. Thus, the qualitative research involves thick description, which includes the clear description of the culture, context, process and steps of research which helps in construction of reality and analysis of research.
• Qualitative research is  interested in understanding the meaning people have constructed, that is, how people make sense of their world and the experiences they have in the world.   

Thus, Understanding, exploration, and Interpretation terms best indicate the intent of qualitative research.

Validity is one of the important characteristics of scientific research. The term ‘Validity’ implies truth or fidelity. Thus, validity refers to the degree to which a test measures what it claims to measure. The word "valid" is derived from the Latin ‘validus’. A Valid measurement is always reliable.

• For determining the validity of a test, the test should be compared to another independent construct or criteria. 
• Validity is concerned with generalizability. 
• Validity has three important properties:
  • It is a relative term.
  • It is not a fixed concept or criteria of a test because it is an unending process that requires constant validation.
  • It is just a measure concept and not an all-or-none property.

Important Points

A research design is a framework for the methods and approaches. 

Key Points

• Experimental research is a study that is based on scientific research design.
• The characteristic features of Experimental research are the following: 
  • A purpose statement is a declarative statement that highlights the major goal or goals of a research study.
  • The goal of a study or research endeavor is to answer research questions on the topic.
  • A hypothesis is a statement that expresses expectations for the results of research.
  • After developing a hypothesis then collect numeric data. 
• In short, developing clear, restricted, measurable, and observable purpose statements, research questions and hypotheses are characteristic features of experimental research.
• Experimental research is a study that uses two sets of variables and is conducted in a scientific manner.

Thus, creating purpose statements, research questions, and hypotheses that are narrow and measurable would mark the characteristic features of Experimental research.

Additional Information

• Grounded theory research: Grounded theory is a systematic approach to qualitative research where theories are generated through the collecting and analysis of data.
• Ethnographic research:   Ethnography is a qualitative data collection method and the researcher work in the field where they collect data through observations and interviews. 
• Narrative research:  It was defined as collecting and analyzing the accounts of respondents when they describe experiences and further interpret them. 

Qualitative research is research using methods such as participant observation or case studies that result in a narrative, descriptive account of a setting or practice.

Key points

The main features of qualitative research are: 

• It is a naturalist approach that seeks an understanding of social phenomena.
• It deals with human behavior from an informant's perspective.  
• This type of research analyzes non-numeric data. 
• It focuses on the ‘why and what’ of social phenomena.
• Inductive in approach.
• It has a Post Positivist approach.
• It is concerned with understanding the phenomena from the participant's perspective.
• The researcher becomes immersed in the situation, present or past.
• There is greater flexibility in both the methods and the research process.
• Biases of the researcher are quite evident in this type of research.

Hence, (A), (C), and (E) are the main features of qualitative research.

Additional Information

According to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, “research is a systematic inquiry to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive methods.”

Research is a systematic inquiry towards understanding a complex social phenomenon or a process. Based on the research problem, the selection of research methods by the researcher may vary. There are two types of research on the basis of a process i.e Quantitative research and Qualitative research.

​Ethnographic Research:

• The goal of ethnographic research is to describe and interpret a cultural or social group.
• Ethnographers spend extensive time in the setting being studied and use observations, interviews, and other analyses to understand the nature of the culture. 
• Ethnography is an in-depth description and interpretation of cultural patterns and meanings within a culture or social group.  The main emphasis is on groups. 
• Ethnographers study specific cultural themes.

Phenomenological Research:

• ​The goal of phenomenological research is to fully understand the essence of some phenomenon. 
• This is usually accomplished with long, intensive individual interviews. 
• The purpose is to describe and interpret the experiences of participants in order to understand the essence of the experience as perceived by the participants. 
• The basis is that there are multiple ways of interpreting the same experience and that the meaning of the experience to each participant is what constitutes reality. 
• Focuses on the consciousness of human experiences.

Thus, the most appropriate answer is Ethnography and phenomenology.