TEL 300 Telecommunications Research Methods Semester Exam Preparation
The first thing to do is to review the midterm exam prep. About 25 to 30% of the points on the final will
be drawn from the first part of the course.
Below you will find vocabulary that has been discussed most extensively since the midterm:
Qualitative research
methods
Induction
Thick description
Quality of qualitative
research
Credibility
Transferability
Dependability
Confirmability
Text analysis
Texts
Subjectivity of researcher
Content analysis
Categories
Codes/coding
Objective v. subjective codes
Exhaustive categories
Mutually exclusive categories
(Derived from a single)
classification principle
Precision tradeoff
Unit of observation
Recording unit
Coding rules/code book
Practice coding
Interrater/intercoder
Reliability
Observation
Participant observation
Informant
Systematic observation
Critical case
Typical case
Deviant case
Focus group
Recruitment
Moderator
Moderator role
Participant
Participant role
Depth interview
Informant
Open-ended questions
Topic outline
Rapport
Nondirective probes
Grand tour questions
Triangulation
Grounded theory
Open coding
Axial coding
Restricted coding
Theoretical sampling
Constant comparative
method
Memoranda
Quantitative analysis
Descriptive statistics
Mode
Median
Mean
Measures of dispersion
Skew
Inferential statistics
Hypothesis testing
Statistical significance
Comparisons among groups
Relationships among
Variables
Statistics of association
Scatterplot
Correlation
Regression
Short answer questions
How would you develop and test coding categories for a study of depiction of courage in current films?
Outline the steps you go through in a grounded theory analysis of interviews of sportscasters.
What ethical concerns would you have with regard to an anonymous participant observation of a
hackers’ convention?
How would you prepare to conduct in-depth interviews of game developers?
What problems do focus group moderators need to be able to deal with and what skills do they need to
do so?
How do you determine the quality of the results from a qualitative research study?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of focus groups/depth interviewing/observation/content
analysis/qualitative textual analysis as a method? [The question can be applied to any of these methods]
Essay questions:
What are the most significant differences in philosophy between quantitative and qualitative
researchers and how are those differences reflected in the methods the researchers use?
How is grounded theory planned and carried out and how does that process reflect its goals?
Explain how 1) qualitative textual analysis and 2) content analysis could be used to evaluate gender roles
portrayed in reality television. How would the results differ? How do the findings each provides reflect
the strengths and weaknesses of the two methods?
Say you wanted to figure out what kinds of enjoyment/pleasure hardcore gamers got from playing their
favorite games. Compare the use of a survey, focus groups and depth interviews as methods to
approach this question with regard to the kinds of information you are likely to get and the qualities of
that information. Be sure to note how the strengths and weaknesses of each method are reflected in
the results you are likely to generate.