Reference no: EM133326309
Questions
1. How does a cluster sample differ from a simple random sample?
2. What are two advantages of cluster sampling, and what is one disadvantage?
3. What is a multi-stage sample? Why might we use multi-stage sampling?
4. What is a sampling fraction? What is one reason we might want to use different sampling fractions in the same study?
5. What is a sampling distribution? What is one reason they are useful?
6. What is the formula for the sampling error of a proportion? What do the symbols in the formula stand for?
7. List three ways in which we may get non-sampling errors.
8. What is a snowball sample? A purposive sample? A quota sample?
9. What are some reasons why quota samples are attractive and some why they are problematic?
10. What are some reasons why, if you see it stated that samples of such-and-such a size are accurate within so many percentage points 95% of the time, we might be wise to question the accuracy of the statement?
11. What is a Complete Observer? What are an advantage and a disadvantage of taking this role?
12. What is an Observer-as-Participant? What is an advantage of this role over that of the Complete Observer? What is a problem that may well arise when playing this role?
13. What is a Complete Participant? What are some problems that can arise when playing this role?
14. The textbook, following Lofland, lists a series of topics well suited to field research. List four.
15. What is a gatekeeper? What are some problems that may arise in dealing with them?
16. What are some rules of thumb about how field workers may deal with the possibility that they are missing, or misunderstanding key ideas, beliefs or assumptions?
17. What are some rules of thumb on how to deal with (apparent) inconsistencies? 18. What are some issues in finding good informants?
19. In a few sentences, explain grounded theory.
20. What are some types of harm that may arise through field research?
21. What are two reasons why fieldworkers often want to begin analyzing their notes early?
22. What are three rules of thumb about getting good notes in the field?
23. What is meant by 'auditing'?
24. List N ways in which 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' research are similar or overlap.
25. According to lectures, what are three broad ways in which participant observation allows for creativity?
26. How does participant observation fit into the 'three-horned dilemma' we saw earlier in the course?
27. According to lectures, what are 4 situations that lend themselves well to 'quantitative' work? To 'qualitative' work?
28. What is meant by 'triangulation'? Give an example of how 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' methods might be put together in a given study.
29. What is meant by 'Verstehen'? How did Weber link it up to the probabilities that things would occur in the social world?
30. List steps usually taken in analyzing field notes, or transcripts from semi- structured interviews.
31. List three arguments made in favour of quantitative (qualitative) research, and a weakness in one of those arguments.
32. What are N issues that have been raised in considering whether to do covert research?
33. According to lectures, what did Weber mean by value-free sociology?
34. According to lectures, how did Weber think values should come into research? 35. What is one key difference between Weber and Myrdal? One key similarity?
36. From an extreme sociology-of-knowledge position, the possibility of objectivity does not exist. Why is this so, and why is it often held that the argument, carried to this extreme, defeats itself?
37. What is the difference between anonymity and confidentiality?
38. What is typically meant by informed consent?
39. Why is it difficult to define informed consent clearly in the case of participant observation?
40. Why can it be difficult to assess potential harm associated with social research?
41. What are the key steps in an ethics review?