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You answered 13 out of 20 correct – your score is 65% Question 1 What is a research design? Your answer: b) The choice between using qualitative or quantitative methods. Correct answer: d) A framework for every stage of the collection and analysis of data. Feedback: "A research design provides a framework for the collection and analysis of data". The choice of methods to be used is, indeed, very important, as is an understanding of your fundamental research philosophy. But a research design will highlight these choices and other decisions about which elements are considered to be more important than others, as well as your hypotheses about causality and predictability. Consider it as a blueprint for the research you propose to conduct. Page reference: 28

Question 2 If a study is "reliable", this means that: Your answer: a) the methods are outlined in the methods discussion clearly enough for the research to be replicated. Correct answer: b) the measures devised for concepts are stable on different occasions. Feedback: The essential question about research is its reliability. It is often the case that concepts in the social sciences can be construed differently in different social contexts, so the promise of repeatability makes readers feel the results can be relied on more. But what is even more important is that there should be not much variation (or none at all) in responses to the same instruments by the same type of respondent. Page reference: 28

Question 3 "Internal validity" refers to: Your answer: a) whether or not there is really a causal relationship between two variables. Feedback: "Validity" has a special meaning in research, usually indicating the truth of something, its authenticity. It looks at the relationship around causal relationships. It reflects the extent to which a causal conclusion based on a study is warranted. Many of our research activities can be seen as valid steps towards producing a dissertation, for example, but our conclusions will not be worthwhile unless our research was valid. If a measure proves unreliable (see question 2), it lacks "measurement validity" but "internal validity" is lost when the "internal" relationship between variables is lost, or ambiguous, or confused. Consider if something you did as part of your study affected something that you observed, The main consideration with internal validity is whether observed changes can be related to your intervention (i.e. the cause) and not to other potential causes for the outcome). Page reference: 29

Question 4 Lincoln and Guba (1985) propose that an alternative criterion for evaluating qualitative research would be: Your answer: b) trustworthiness. Feedback: "Trustworthiness" is as an example of a criterion that could determine how good the qualitative research might have been (Lincoln and Guba, 1985). This criterion may be subdivided into dimensions of credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability, to act as elements for reliability and validity in quantitative research. Page reference: 30

Question 5 Naturalism has been defined as: Your answer: d) all of the above.

Feedback: "Naturalism" is an unusual expression which has many meanings. Some of these meanings may seem contradictory. All of the definitions shown in this question are correct, although "a" is positivist as opposed to the interpretivism suggested by "b" and "c". Research methodologies such as ethnography, observation, or unstructured qualitative interviews try to come close to the natural context of the data, while being relatively non-intrusive. Page reference: 31

Question 6 The term 'external validity' is concerned with: Your answer: a) the question of whether the results of a study can be generalized beyond the specific research context. Feedback: This issue is concerned with the question of whether the results of a study can be generalized beyond the specific research context. It is in this context that the issue of how people or organizations are selected to participate in research becomes crucial. External validity is one of the main reasons why quantitative researchers are so keen to generate representative samples. Page reference: 30

Question 7 What is a cross-sectional design? Your answer: d) Research into one particular section of society, e.g. the middle classes. Correct answer: c) The collection of data from more than one case at one moment in time. Feedback: A cross-sectional design entails the collection of data on more than one case (usually quite a lot more than one) and at a single point in time in order to collect a body of quantitative or quantifiable data in connection with two or more variables (usually many more than two), which are then examined to detect patterns of association. Such an approach is frequently called a survey design because researchers using this method may

produce questionnaires to be filled in by many respondents in the same time period. The search is for variation within a social group, or between social groups, in attitudes or orientation to specific variables. Since no manipulation of variables is possible, co-relationships between variables is all that can be discovered. Page reference: 40

Question 8 Survey research is cross-sectional and as a result, it is Your answer: a) Low in internal validity but high in replicability. Feedback: A survey attempts to discover the range of responses to a set of variables. The researcher can give a lot of details concerning procedures for selecting respondents, handling of the research instrument (perhaps a questionnaire) and the analysis methodology. In this way, replicability can be almost guaranteed. However, since the analysis can only pinpoint degrees of co-relation between variables, causality remains in the realm of inference, meaning low (or no) internal validity. Remember that internal validity depends on causality and reliability on replicability. Page reference: 41

Question 9 What does the term 'longitudinal design' mean? Your answer: d) A study completed over a distinct period of time to map changes in social phenomena. Feedback: The longitudinal design represents a distinct form of research design that is typically used to map change in business and management research. Pettigrew (1990) has emphasized the importance of longitudinal study in understanding organizations as a way of providing data on the mechanisms and processes through which changes are created. Such a 'contextualist' research design involves drawing on 'phenomena at vertical and horizontal levels of analysis and the interconnections between those levels through time' (1990: 269). However, partly because of the time and cost involved, longitudinal design is relatively little used in business and management research. Page reference: 43

Question 10

Cross cultural studies are an example of: Your answer: b) Comparative design Feedback: Cross cultural studies are an example of comparative design. The case study design is usually focused on those aspects which could only have happened at that time, in that place, for whatever reason. The comparative design typically studies two contrasting cases, so that a better understanding of social phenomena can be formed. Clearly, cross-cultural studies are a good example, therefore, of comparative design in action. Page reference: 48-50

Question 11 Which of the following requirements for a dissertation may depend on your institution? Your answer: b) The format for referencing Correct answer: d) All of the above Feedback: When beginning a research project, it is important to find out what is required of you. Each institution or department will have worked out its own rules about the format and presentation of dissertations, usually communicated in a 'dissertation module description' available on-line, if not actually handed out in hard copy. This document is essential reading, because it forms a key element of how your work will be assessed. You must not ignore these protocols. Bryman goes so far as to say, on page 55 "If anything in this book conflicts with your institution's guidelines and requirements ignore this book!" Find out whether an abstract is required (it usually is), what the word length should be, how you should reference your work, and so on. Page reference: 55

Question 12 The role of a project supervisor is to: Your answer:

b) provide academic support, guidance and critical feedback on your work. Feedback: If you are writing an undergraduate or postgraduate dissertation, you will normally be allocated an academic supervisor to help you. The role of the supervisor is to provide intellectual support and practical guidance on carrying out a research project, as well as critical but constructive feedback on your written work. Most institutions stipulate the amount of contact a student may expect to have with their supervisor, so it makes sense to use the resource to the full. It may be the case that the supervisor will be one of your examiners, so discussing work-in-progress regularly is very productive. However, it is important to remember that they cannot do the research for you and that you are responsible for your own schedule and deadlines. Page reference: 56-57

Question 13 Why is it important to have well formulated research questions? Your answer: b) It leads to more focused research. Correct answer: d) All of the above. Feedback: Not having research questions or having poorly formulated research questions will lead to poor research. If you do not specify clear research questions, there is a great risk that your research will be unfocused and that you will be unsure about what your research is about and what you are collecting data for. It does not matter how well you design a questionnaire or how skilled an interviewer you are; you must be clear about your research questions. Page reference: 61

Question 14 What did Marx (1997) mean when he suggested that "intellectual puzzles and contradictions" can be a possible source of research questions? Your answer: c) Unless you can find a logical contradiction, you have no basis for conducting research. Correct answer:

a) The researcher may feel that there is a contradiction in the literature, presenting a "puzzle" to be solved. Feedback: Marx (1997) meant that the researcher may feel that there is a contradiction in the literature, presenting a "puzzle" to be solved. Marx presented a list of thirteen possible origins of research questions, including personal experience, the existing literature, new methods and theories and so on. It is worth studying the complete list, even if you feel fairly confident of your own research questions, because you may gain insights into your questions' theoretical origins. Page reference: 61

Question 15 Which of the following is a criterion for a good research question? Your answer: d) Questions should connect with established theory and research. Feedback: Research questions for a dissertation or project should meet the following criteria: Questions should be clear. They must be understandable to you and to others. Questions should be researchable. They should be capable of development into a research design, so that data may be collected in relation to them. This means that extremely abstract terms are unlikely to be suitable. Questions should connect with established theory and research. This means that there should be a literature on which you can draw to help illuminate how your research questions should be approached. Even if you find a topic that has been scarcely addressed by social scientists, it is unlikely that there will be no relevant literature (for example, on related or parallel topics). Making connections with theory and research will also allow you to show how your research has made a contribution to knowledge and understanding. Questions should be linked to each other. Unrelated research questions are unlikely to be acceptable, since you should be developing an argument in your dissertation. You will not very readily be able to construct a single argument in connection with unrelated research questions. Questions should have potential for making a contribution to knowledge. They should at the very least hold out the prospect of being able to make a contribution-however small-to the topic. Questions should be neither too broad nor too narrow. The research questions should be neither too large (so that you would need a massive grant to study them) nor too small (so that you cannot make a reasonably significant contribution to your area of study). Page reference: 66

Question 16 Which of the following should be included in a research proposal?

Your answer: c) Your choice of research methods and reasons for choosing them. Feedback: Almost certainly, your own institution will require you to prepare a dissertation proposal, which is actually your proposal to conduct a specific research study. The focus is, therefore, on the specific topic you have selected and the precise methods you propose to use. You will, typically, be asked to indicate some readings in the field of the research, usually so that an appropriate supervisor can be allocated. The point of these readings is to show the basis for your research questions, so it is assumed you understand them pretty well. Previous experience may be considered if the research seems unorthodox or novel but the research proposal should be capable of "standing on its own feet". Page reference: 66-67

Question 17 Which of the following should you think about when preparing your research? Your answer: a) Your sample frame and sampling strategy. Correct answer: d) All of the above. Feedback: In preparing your research project, you need to be well organised. There is a certain amount of "groundwork" that you can do before beginning your data collection and analysis. For example, you can prepare for the research by thinking about possible sampling strategies, whether sampling frames exist and how they can be accessed, ethical issues you will have to address, and ways of negotiating access to organizational data and/or people you would like to survey. Page reference: 66-68

Question 18 Why is it helpful to keep a research diary or log book while you are conducting your project? Your answer: c) To keep a record of what you did and what happened throughout the research process. Feedback:

It can be very helpful to keep a written log book or diary of the whole period during which you conducted your project. This is because the research process is typically long, busy and full of unexpected turns of events. Keeping a record of what happened, and when, will help you to monitor how well the research is progressing (in terms of survey response rates, etc) and whether you are managing to answer your research questions. It will also be an extremely useful resource when it comes to writing up your "Methods" chapter later on, as you will already have a set of notes about the research process in chronological order, and this will encourage you to be reflexive about your own role in shaping the outcomes of the project. Page reference: 68, 178-179

Question 19 Which of the following are sampling considerations? Your answer: d) All of the above. Feedback: You will need to think about access and sampling issues. If your research requires you to gain access to or the cooperation of one or more closed settings such as an organization, you need to confirm at the earliest opportunity that you have the necessary permission to conduct your work. You also need to consider how you will go about gaining access to people. These issues lead you into sampling considerations, such as the following: Who do you need to study in order to investigate your research questions? How easily can you gain access to a sampling frame? What kind of sampling strategy will you employ (for example, probability sampling, quota sampling, theoretical sampling, convenience sampling)? Can you justify your choice of sampling method? Page reference: 67-68

Question 20 What practical steps can you take before you actually start your research? Your answer: d) All of the above. Feedback: Before writing your research proposal, when you are beginning to gather your thoughts, in other words, there are practical steps you can take. All of the answers shown for this question are correct, because they can stop you from moving too far down a particular track only to discover later, or be told later, that it simply isn't feasible. You can have access to a tape recorder but do

you really know how to use it, or change its batteries? Your institution is a subscriber to SPSS but can you use it? This is the time to learn about these things, not when trying to conduct an interview or after your questionnaires have been returned. Page reference: 70 (Checklist)   

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