Part A Introduction to Research Methods

Topic 1 Knowledge and Research Methods

1. What makes scientific knowledge different from other types of knowledge?

a. it is definite where other knowledge is uncertain
b. it is based in numbers instead of stories
c. it is collected systematically to minimize bias
d. there is no significant difference from other types of knowledge
Part: A
Topic: 1
Answer: c

2. In addition to making many decisions about how to conduct research, which of these must a
researcher also do when engaged in a research study?
a. document the decisions made
b. include a random sample
c. have a control group
d. prove that the hypothesis is right
Part: A
Topic: 1
Answer: a

3. Which of these statements captures the nature of scientific knowledge?

a. it often reflects the researchers’ personal opinions
b. it is not possible to generate through research in the social sciences
c. it is built from an accumulation of research findings from many studies
d. once it is established, it never changes
Part: A
Topic: 1
Answer: c

Topic 2 Empirical Research

4. Which of these is true of the empirical approach to knowledge?

a. it is used primarily in science, not everyday living
b. it is used primarily in everyday living, not in science
c. it is based on observation or experience
d. it is knowledge gained only from quantitative or experimental methods
Part: A
Topic: 2
Answer: c

1
5. Knowledge that is acquired based on observation, direct or indirect, or in other words, on
experience, is called:
a. theoretical
b. personal
c. empirical
d. qualitative
Part: A
Topic: 2
Answer: c

6. Researchers must plan to match their approach with their research question, in part because
research ideas are translated into:
a. observations
b. measures
c. biases
d. samples
Part: A
Topic: 2
Answer: b

7. Which type of research results are not reduced to numbers?

a. quantitative
b. qualitative
Part: A
Topic: 2
Correct answer: b

Topic 3 The Role of Theory in Research

8. Based on Topic 3, The Role of Theory in Research, which of these represent the relationship
between theory and research:
a. theory is completed before research
b. research is completed before theory
c. research and theory are independent
d. research and theory are interdependent
Part: A
Topic: 3
Correct answer: d

9. A unified explanation of observations is called:

a. correlation

2
b. theory
c. empiricism
d. hypothesis
Part: A
Topic: 3
Correct answer: b

10. Which of these statements is FALSE about good theories?

a. good theories are generalizable
b. good theories are testable
c. good theories use rigorous criteria
d. good theories prove the results of research
Part: A
Topic: 3
Correct answer: d

11. When research is used to test hypotheses derived from theories it is called:
a. deductive
b. inductive
c. conjunctive
d. grounded
Part: A
Topic: 3
Correct answer: a

12. When observations are used to formulate a theory, it is called:

a. deductive
b. inductive
c. conjunctive
d. grounded
Part: A
Topic: 3
Correct answer: b

13. Research that works “down” from hypotheses and “up” from observations is called:
a. deductive
b. inductive
c. conjunctive
d. grounded
Part: A
Topic: 3
Correct answer: d

3
Topic 4 Experimental and Nonexperimental Studies

14. The fundamental difference between experimental and nonexperimental study designs is that
experimental study designs:
a. interact directly with people
b. use only quantitative measures
c. use a manipulation or treatment
d. have a pretest and a posttest
Part: A
Topic: 4
Correct answer: c

15. Educational researchers want to find out if students learn language better when they use
digital flashcards to study at least once a day. The flashcards would be called:
a. the experiment
b. the independent variable
c. the criterion
d. the treatment
Part: A
Topic: 4
Correct answer: d

16. True or false: A treatment is sufficient to make a study an experiment.

a. true
b. false
Part: A
Topic: 4
Correct answer: b

17. In experiments, one group does not receive the treatment. They are called:
a. the double blind
b. the blind
c. the control group
d. the placebo
Part: A
Topic: 4
Correct answer: c

4
18. In some experiments, the researcher does not know who received a treatment and who didn’t.
This is called:
a. control group
b. placebo
c. blind
d. true experiment
Part: A
Topic: 4
Correct answer: c

19. Surveys, polls, interviews, and observations are common types of which research?
a. ethnographic
b. nonexperimental
c. quasi-experimental
d. experimental
Part: A
Topic: 4
Correct answer: b

20. In an experiment, Group A members were given badges for being on time to the classroom
while Group B members were given no special treatment. Which group is the control group?
a. group A
b. group B
c. neither group
d. both groups
Part: A
Topic: 4
Correct answer: b

Topic 5 Causal-Comparative Studies

21. When researchers investigate cause-and-effect relationships, they usually prefer which type
of approach?
a. experimental
b. nonexperimental
c. meta-analysis
d. there is no preference
Part: A
Topic: 5
Correct answer: a

22. Basic statistical characteristics of humans that are used as identity markers are called:

5
a. variables
b. criteria
c. demographics
d. statistics
Part: A
Topic: 5
Correct answer: c

23. While experiments allow researchers to propose answers to causal questions, in some cases,
experiments are not appropriate. The most common reasons are:
a. experiments must be done in a laboratory
b. experiments take a lot of time
c. it would unethical to conduct some types of experiments on people
d. experiments do not allow some types of comparisons to be made
Part: A
Topic: 5
Correct answer: c

24. When researchers observe and describe a current condition and look to the past to try to
identify the possible causes of the condition, it is called a(n) ____________ study.
a. causal-comparative
b. correlational
c. cross-sectional
d. longitudinal
Part: A
Topic: 5
Correct answer: a

25. A researcher compared the academic success of high school students who had received free
tutoring during elementary school years with the success of high school students who were
similar on major characteristics but did not receive free tutoring. The purpose was to determine
the effects of free tutoring on academic success. What type of research design is this?
a. causal-comparative
b. correlational
c. longitudinal
d. experimental
Part: A
Topic: 5
Correct answer: a

6
Topic 6 Types of Nonexperimental Research

26. Which of these is a form of nonexperimental research?

a. causal-comparative research
b. surveys
c. correlational research
d. all of the above
Part: A
Topic: 6
Correct answer: d

27. This type of research allows researchers to collect information about attitudes, beliefs, and
behaviors of a population.
a. experiment
b. interview
c. survey
d. case study
Part: A
Topic: 6
Correct answer: c

28. When all individuals in a population are included in data collection, it is called a:
a. parameter
b. populace
c. census
d. full sample
Part: A
Topic: 6
Correct answer: c

29. When researchers are interested in the degree of relationship among two or more quantitative
variables, the appropriate design is:
a. correlational
b. case study
c. cross-sectional
d. survey
Part: A
Topic: 6
Correct answer: a

30. If a researcher wanted to measure second graders each week for a year on their reading
capabilities, this would most likely be:
a. cross-sectional research
b. longitudinal research
c. case study research
d. historical research

7
Part: A
Topic: 6
Correct answer: b

Topic 7 Quantitative and Qualitative Research

31. Research that uses statistical analysis and presents results in numbers is called:
a. experimental research
b. deductive research
c. quantitative research
d. qualitative research
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: c

32. Research that is collected in interviews or observation and presented primarily through words
and is called:
a. ethnographic research
b. inductive research
c. quantitative research
d. qualitative research
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: d

33. Which of these statements matches the relationship between research topics and qualitative
or quantitative research?
a. most research topics fit best with a specific research approach
b. most research topics can be formulated into questions that fit either quantitative or qualitative
approaches
c. for most research topics, the researcher can decide which approach to take after collecting data
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: b

34. Qualitative researchers often approach their research planning with an exploratory approach,
which uses _______________ logic.
a. inductive
b. deductive
c. hypothetical
d. instrumental
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: a

8
35. Which type of research often strives to select large samples to use as participants?
a. qualitative
b. census
c. quantitative
d. purposive
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: c

36. What is a common method used to analyze a sample and estimate how well it represents a
population?
a. differentiation
b. statistics
c. demographics
d. interpolation
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: b

37. Which type of researchers is more likely to include relevant details about the researchers’
personal backgrounds?
a. qualitative
b. quantitative
c. experimental
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: a

38. Which type of researchers is less likely to make adjustments in measures once the research
has begun?
a. qualitative
b. quantitative
c. experimental
Part: A
Topic: 7
Correct answer: b

Topic 8 Quantitative and Qualitative Research Decisions

39. Researchers who are primarily interested in a topic where little is known may find the best
approach to be the use of ___________ methods.

9
a. quantitative
b. cross-sectional
c. qualitative
d. quasi-experimental
Part: A
Topic: 8
Correct answer: c

40. A researcher who wishes to see if existing theories are relevant to a current set of
circumstances might be best suited to a ________________ approach.
a. quantitative
b. qualitative
c. pretest-posttest
d. case study
Part: A
Topic: 8
Correct answer: a

41. Which of these factors may help to determine if a qualitative or quantitative approach is
taken? (select all that apply)
a. the research topic is more suited to one or the other
b. the research question is more suited to one or the other
c. when a culture is closed or secretive
d. when participants have limited availability
Part: A
Topic: 8
Correct answer: b, c, d

Topic 9 Program Evaluation

42. Although it can take many forms and use many approaches, the purpose of ______________
research is to assess the outcomes of a program.
a. experimental
b. basic
c. evaluation
d. foundations
Part: A
Topic: 9
Correct answer: c

43. Program evaluation is almost always used for practical decisions, which is a form of research
called __________.

10
a. basic research
b. experimental research
c. prototype research
d. applied research
Part: A
Topic: 9
Correct answer: d

44. Programs are usually based on nonexperimental research in which researchers attempt to
understand what is required by those who the program will serve. This is called:
a. program pretest
b. basic evaluation
c. needs assessment
d. preliminary evaluation
Part: A
Topic: 9
Correct answer: c

45. Programs are often similar to experiments, in which the program acts as a treatment, but it
allows for adjustments in the program while it is taking place. The measurement of the
program’s progress as it is taking place is referred to as:
a. formative evaluation
b. midstream adjudication
c. applied experiments
d. modified formulations
Part: A
Topic: 9
Correct answer: a

46. True or false: Programs are similar to experiments in that the programs’ intervention acts as a
treatment in an experiment. Just like experiments, researchers often make adjustments based on
feedback during the experiment process.
a. true
b. false
Part: A
Topic: 9
Correct answer: b

47. What are the two prongs of formative evaluation?

a. process and progress
b. before and after
c. people goals and program goals

11
d. internal and external changes
Part: A
Topic: 9
Correct answer: a

48. At the end of evaluating a program, an evaluator will collect the information and compare it
against the ultimate goals of the program in a:
a. white paper
b. summative evaluation
c. programmatic review
d. formative evaluation
Part: A
Topic: 9
Correct answer: b

Topic 10 The Development of Ethical Research Standards

49. Which of the following led to a formal set of ethics for research?
a. professionalism in the field of research
b. the introduction of qualitative methods
c. the nonconsensual, unethical research carried out during WWII
d. the expansion of research from animals to people
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: c

50. In direct response to the unethical medical research conducted in Nazi concentration camps
during World War II, the_____________ was formulated to define legitimate medical research.
a. American Medical Association
b. Hippocratic oath
c. Institutional Review Board for Medicine
d. Nuremburg Code
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: d

51. One widely recognized case of ethics violations is a study began in 1932 by the U.S. Public
Health Service of black sharecroppers who had syphilis. It is known as:
a. the Nuremburg study
b. the Tuskegee Syphilis study
c. the Alabama sharecropper study
d. the Framingham heart study

12
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: b

52. Why was the study of black sharecroppers with syphilis a controversial study?
a. the entire study sample was poor black men in the South
b. the participants were offered free medical care, meals, and life insurance to cover burial costs,
but were not given the promised rewards
c. one-third of the study’s participants did not have syphilis at the outset of the study but were
given syphilis through the study
d. during the study, a treatment for syphilis was discovered but was not given to the study’s
participants, resulting in continued suffering and death from the disease
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: d

53. The ethical breach over the syphilis study in the U.S. led directly to which of these:
a. a report from the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical
and Behavioral Research, nicknamed “the Belmont report”
b. the disbanding of the U.S. Public Health Service
c. government and university rules that greatly limit study of poor minority communities
d. the adoption of the Nuremburg code in the United States for the first time
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: a

54. True or false: Most institutions where research is conducted have an ethics review process.
a. true
b. false
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: a

55. At colleges and universities, the ethics review process is managed by a committee that is
commonly named:
a. the ethics committee, or CEC
b. the institutional review board, or IRB
c. the Common Rule board or CRB
d. the Human Subjects committee, or HSC
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: b

13
56. At colleges and universities, who must receive approval through the ethics review process?
a. just professors with grants
b. just those in medical research
c. just graduate and undergraduate students
d. anyone completing qualifying research that involves human subjects
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: d

57. What key qualities determine whether work counts as “research” that is reviewed for ethics?
a. “systematic” and “generalizable”
b. “systematic” and “educational”
c. “educational” and “published”
d. “private“ and “published”
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: a

58. Which of these examples of research would NOT be subject to ethics review?
a. the work includes more than a single story or case
b. the work includes animals but not people
c. the work only involves secondary data about human subjects that was in a public dataset
d. the work was created to fulfill an educational requirement
Part: A
Topic: 10
Correct answer: c

Topic 11 Ethical Principles in Research

59. What three important concepts form the basis of modern ethics review?
a. beneficence, justice, and autonomy
b. beneficence, safety, and knowledge
c. protection, information, and health
d. honesty, fairness, and privacy
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: a

60. One of the basic concepts on which modern ethics reviews are based is the idea that
participants are protected from physical and psychological harm. This is referred to as:
a. beneficence

14
b. benefittance
c. safety
d. protective research
Part: A
Topic 11
Correct answer: a

61. What, if anything, is considered when managing potential harms to participants in a research
plan?
a. all harm must be anticipated
b. it is the responsibility of the participant to understand the research
c. harms should be minimized, but weighed against the potential benefit to society
d. no harms are acceptable in research planning
Part: A
Topic 11
Correct answer: c

62. Another principle in research ethics: Treating all subjects equitably and all burdens or
benefits related to the research are shared fairly. This is referred to as the principle of:
a. equality
b. justice
c. autonomy
d. beneficence
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: b

63. The principle that welfare subjects should not incur risks by participating in research when
the resulting treatment would only benefit the wealthiest people is an example of:
a. equality
b. justice
c. autonomy
d. beneficence
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: b

64. Those who participate in research must know about the risks and the benefits they may get
from their participation. This is called:
a. equality
b. transparency
c. informed consent

15
d. justice
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: c

65. Research participants not only must be informed of risks and benefits but must know that
they can refuse to answer specific questions or withdraw from participating in the research at any
time. This represents the principle of:
a. autonomy
b. protocols
c. voluntarism
d. right to privacy
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: a

66. Almost all researchers agree that participants have which of these rights? (pick one)
a. knowledge about the purpose of the research
b. complete honesty about the purpose of the study
c. ability to have a copy of all of the data they provided
d. a right to have their names acknowledged and included in the research
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: a

67. Is deception about the purpose of the research ever appropriate according to modern research
ethics?
a. yes, but only if the participants are limited in their ability to agree to participate
b. yes, it is standard to limit information about the research purpose until it is completed
c. yes, but only rarely, when it is necessary and a benefit is created by the research
d. no, deception is never acceptable
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: c

68. After participants play their part in research, they may receive more information about the
purpose of the study, the procedure(s) used, and be offered to share the results. This is called:
a. debriefing
b. exit interview
c. informed consent
d. post-research protocol
Part: A

16
Topic: 11
Correct answer: a

69. Participants in research have a right to privacy. This means that researchers must:
a. not disclose the participants’ identities in the research process
b. maintain confidentiality in how the data is stored
c. protect the participant’s identity in how they describe the person so they cannot easily be
identified by the description
d. all of the above
Part: A
Topic: 11
Correct answer: d

17