Concept Topic Sheet for Final Exam in SYA 4300 NOTE Just because a concept term is not on this list does not mean that it won t be on the exam You should familiarize yourself with all assigned course materials lecture presentations readings etc Do not focus on the specific research topic or findings of the supplemental required readings they are part of our class to help bring course concepts to life Many concepts topics are presented across the required readings and course lectures Something may be only listed in one section below but you are responsible to understand the concept topic as it was presented throughout the course ex inductive vs deductive Types of questions multiple choice true false matching short answer short essay Levels of questions everything from memorization ex definitions to application ex critical thinking using techniques to comparison ex advantages and disadvantages similarities and differences you should be able to define apply compare and identify examples of the terms and concepts on the list below Exam structure 32 questions worth 2 points each 64 points Short answer short essay questions 36 points 100 points Total Quantitative data analysis What is it a systematic approach to investigations during which numerical data is collected and or the researcher transforms what is collected or observed into numerical data It often describes a situation or event answering the what and how many questions you may have about something Univariate analysis frequency tables Number of people or cases in each category Often expressed as percentages of sample Interval ratio data need to be grouped Measures of central tendency 1 Mean Sum all values in distribution then divide by total number of values 2 Median Middle point within entire range of values Not distorted by outliers 3 Mode Most frequently occurring value Measures of dispersion compare levels of variation in different samples to see if there is more variability in a variable in one sample than in another range Interquartile range Variance Standard deviation 1 Range the difference between the minimum and maximum values in a sample 2 Standard deviation the average amount of variation around the mean reducing the impact of extreme values outliers Graphs pie charts bar charts Bivariate analysis Explores relationships between variables Searches for co variance and correlations Cannot establish causality Can sometimes infer the direction of a causal relationship If one variable is obviously independent of the other Cross tabulation contingency tables Connects the frequencies of two variables and helps you identify any patterns of association Multivariate analysis use multivariate procedures in studies that involve more than one dependent variable also known as the outcome or phenomenon of interest more than one independent variable also known as a predictor or both Correlation and causation Spuriousness Mediating moderating intervening variables Missing data Various tests of statistical significance chi square test The chi square 2 test is applied to contingency tables It establishes how confident we can be that there is a relationship between the two variables in the population The test calculates for each cell in the table an expected frequency or value one that would occur on the basis of chance alone The chi square value is determined by calculating the differences between the actual and expected values for each cell and then summing those differences Correlation and statistical significance provides information about the likelihood that the coefficient will be found in the population from which the sample was taken Comparing means and statistical significance the F statistic expresses the amount of explained variance in relation to the amount of error variance Introduction to qualitative research What is it Designed to capture social life as participants experience it rather than in categories the researcher predetermines Methods of qualitative research participant observation intensive interviewing focus groups Contrasts and comparisons with quantitative research broadly identify contrast and compare various quantitative and qualitative methods Main steps in qualitative research Sampling 1 Generic purposive sampling criteria for sampling is based on research question and remains fixed throughout the process 2 Theoretical Sampling recommended by Glaser and Strauss 1967 a more fluid sampling rationale Make decisions about who to sample next based on themes that arise earlier in the study 3 Snowball sampling Respondents are selected as successive informants or interviewees identify them The sample snowballs in size Useful for hard to reach or hard to identify populations Reliability and validity in qualitative research Main preoccupations of qualitative researchers Seeing through the eyes of those studied Taking the role of the other Understanding meanings people attribute to world Unexpected findings Description and emphasis on context Detailing account of the setting Critiques of qualitative research Too subjective Researcher decides what to focus on Difficult to replicate Unstructured format Problem of generalization Samples not representative of all cases Lack of transparency Sometimes unclear what researcher actually did Triangulation Results of one method research strategy can be cross checked against the results of another Grounded theory Not actually a theory rather an approach to generating theory from data Researcher collects data not knowing exactly what they ll find Useful in producing concepts Interviewing in qualitative research What is it Structured interview vs semi structured interview Both rely on self reporting neutrality of interviewer and interaction between Interviewer and Respondent Qualitative interviews do not rely on standard responses and questions they are more fluid Preparing for a semi structured interview Include basic introductory demographic information What is the nature of your investigation Coherent order and organization Leave room for variation and deviation Recording device Where will you interview What will the setting be like Be familiar with the setting and be on time Avoid judgment Intensive interviewing guidelines best practices Finding interview subjects sampling Techniques to ask questions in a semi structured interview What happens after the interview Transcription The written translation of a recorded interview or focus group session Ethnographic research and