Lesson 4.1.3.1

4.1.3.1 Quantitative and qualitative methods and research design Quiz: AQA Sociology, Unit 1

20 questions

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Lesson 4.1.3.1, Quantitative and qualitative methods and research design: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Sociology (7192), Unit 1: Education with Theory and Methods, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. Which characteristic is most associated with quantitative research in sociology?

    • It emphasises the unique and unrepeatable nature of each social setting, so findings cannot be compared
    • It produces rich descriptions of meaning from a small number of in-depth interviews with participants
    • It relies on the researcher's personal reflections as the main source of evidence in the study
    • It produces numerical data that can be analysed statistically, often from large and representative samples

  2. Which characteristic is most associated with qualitative research in sociology?

    • It uses large random samples to produce findings that can be generalised to the whole population
    • It produces numerical data suitable for statistical tests of relationships between variables
    • It produces detailed insight into meanings, experiences and social contexts, often from small samples
    • It relies on standardised measures that allow the same results to be produced by any researcher

  3. Which research design involves studying the same group of people at several points in time?

    • A cross-sectional design, which collects data from different groups at a single point in time
    • A case study design, which focuses on one organisation or event without any repeated measurement
    • A longitudinal design, which collects data from the same participants over an extended period
    • A comparative design, which compares two or more societies at a single point in time

  4. A researcher surveys 2,000 pupils from different schools at a single point in time. Which research design is this?

    • A historical study, because it uses data from past records to reconstruct events in the schools
    • A longitudinal study, because it collects data over a period of several years
    • A participant observation study, because the researcher is present in each school for the whole survey
    • A cross-sectional study, because data are collected from a sample at one point in time

  5. Which statement best describes the difference between operationalisation and conceptualisation in quantitative research?

    • Conceptualisation is the same as sampling, while operationalisation is the same as data analysis
    • Conceptualisation is carried out after data collection, while operationalisation is carried out before it begins
    • Conceptualisation is the collection of data, while operationalisation is the presentation of final results
    • Conceptualisation defines an abstract concept, while operationalisation specifies how it will be measured

  6. A researcher defines 'social class' using occupational categories and uses those categories as measures in a survey. What process is this?

    • Operationalisation, in which an abstract concept is converted into measurable indicators
    • Verstehen, in which the researcher seeks to understand the subjective meanings of participants
    • Triangulation, in which several methods are used to cross-check findings about the same topic
    • Reflexivity, in which the researcher considers how their own position shapes the research

  7. Which statement about reliability in research is correct?

    • Reliability refers to whether a research finding is relevant to the policy concerns of the government
    • Reliability refers to whether a research method produces consistent results when repeated under the same conditions
    • Reliability refers to whether a sample is large enough to allow the findings to be generalised to a population
    • Reliability refers to whether the researcher's personal views have been excluded from the findings

  8. Which problem is most closely associated with qualitative research?

    • It can never be carried out in natural settings, so it cannot reflect everyday social life at all
    • It always produces findings that are identical across different researchers and different settings
    • It is difficult to generalise from small samples, so findings may not apply to other settings
    • It is impossible to collect any data about social behaviour without using numerical measures

  9. Which evaluation is most appropriate for a study that uses a large-scale survey to measure attitudes to education?

    • It is strong for capturing the full meaning of every respondent's experience in their own words and context
    • It is weak because surveys always produce identical answers, which means that the data cannot show any variation
    • It is strong for generalisation and comparison, but it may miss the meanings respondents attach to their answers
    • It is weak because surveys can never be used to collect data from a large number of people at once

  10. Which research design is most appropriate for an in-depth study of how one comprehensive school responds to a major policy change?

    • A case study, which investigates a single example in depth using multiple sources of evidence
    • A laboratory experiment, which randomly assigns pupils to different conditions in a controlled setting
    • A secondary analysis of national statistics, which records the averages for all schools in the country
    • A cross-sectional survey of thousands of schools, which records their policies at one point in time

  11. Which statement best describes a 'mixed methods' approach?

    • The use of only secondary data sources, drawn from several different government departments in one study
    • The use of experiments and observations in the same setting, without any other method being used
    • The combination of quantitative and qualitative methods within a single research study to gain a fuller picture
    • The use of a single method that is repeated in several different countries to allow comparison

  12. A researcher wants to show that a relationship exists between parental income and examination results. Which type of data would be most suitable for testing this?

    • Quantitative data, which allows the statistical measurement of the strength and direction of the relationship
    • Ethnographic data, which records the everyday routines of families over several weeks of observation
    • Qualitative data, which records the personal feelings of parents about their children's examination results
    • Biographical data, which tells the life story of a single parent and their child's education

  13. Which term describes the extent to which a research finding can be applied to other settings or groups?

    • Verstehen, which is the attempt to understand social action from the actor's own point of view
    • Hermeneutics, which is the interpretation of texts in order to understand their underlying meanings
    • Generalisability, which is the extent to which findings can be applied beyond the sample studied
    • Reflexivity, which is the researcher's consideration of how their own values affect the research

  14. Which design is most appropriate for comparing how education systems in two countries have changed over the last fifty years?

    • A laboratory experiment, which tests the effect of a single intervention in an artificial setting
    • A comparative design, which analyses similarities and differences between two or more societies over time
    • A cross-sectional survey of pupils in one country, carried out in a single year
    • A single-case study, which examines only one school in one town at a single point in time

  15. Which statement about sampling is correct?

    • A representative sample is one chosen by the researcher because it contains the most interesting cases
    • A representative sample is one that includes only the participants who agree to take part in the research
    • A representative sample reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn
    • A representative sample always contains the same number of people as the population it describes

  16. Which evaluation of structured quantitative methods is most often made by interpretivists?

    • They cannot be used to collect any data about social class, gender or ethnicity at all
    • They are always biased in favour of the researcher's own political views and personal values
    • They can miss the meanings that people attach to their actions, which shape social behaviour
    • They are too time-consuming to carry out, so they never produce results within the funding available

  17. A study has a clearly stated hypothesis and uses a random sample of 500 pupils. Which approach is this study most likely to take?

    • An interpretivist approach, seeking to understand the meaning of social action from the participants' viewpoint
    • An ethnographic approach, in which the researcher lives within the community for an extended period
    • A historical approach, in which the researcher reconstructs the past from documents and archives alone
    • A quantitative approach, testing a predicted relationship using statistical analysis of data from a representative sample

  18. Which research design is most likely to be used to investigate change in pupils' attainment across the years of secondary school?

    • A longitudinal design, which follows the same pupils over several years to track their progress
    • A comparative design, which compares schools in different countries at the same moment in history
    • A case study design, which examines a single pupil's experiences at one school in depth
    • A cross-sectional design, which compares pupils of different ages at a single point in time

  19. Which statement best describes a longitudinal study in education research?

    • It examines one school in depth at one moment, using documents and observation to explain its culture
    • It compares pupils from different schools at a single point in time to find differences in attainment
    • It analyses historical records of exam results from the nineteenth century to reconstruct trends
    • It follows the same group of pupils over several years to track changes in their attainment and attitudes

  20. Which is the main advantage of a large-scale structured survey over an in-depth interview study?

    • It reveals the detailed personal meanings that respondents attach to their experiences in their own words
    • It allows the researcher to build close relationships with participants over an extended period of time
    • It allows the researcher to observe how people behave in natural settings without disturbing them
    • It allows statistical comparison across a large and varied sample, so that patterns can be generalised

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