Qualitative Research & Ethnography Flashcards
7 cards from real CSP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Qualitative Research & Ethnography flashcards as text
A researcher spends 18 months living in a rural farming community to study daily labor practices. This approach is best described as:
Answer: Prolonged ethnographic fieldwork
Prolonged ethnographic fieldwork involves sustained immersion in a community to observe everyday practices over an extended period.
Which data collection technique is most associated with uncovering tacit knowledge that participants cannot easily articulate?
Answer: Participant observation
Participant observation allows researchers to witness tacit, embodied knowledge in action rather than relying solely on verbal accounts.
In qualitative research, 'thick description' refers to:
Answer: Providing detailed contextual accounts that convey meaning and culture
Clifford Geertz coined 'thick description' to mean interpreting behavior within its full cultural and contextual layers, not merely reporting observable facts.
A sociologist studying hospital staff uses covert observation without disclosing their researcher role. The primary ethical concern is:
Answer: Violation of informed consent
Covert research denies participants the opportunity to consent, violating core ethical principles of autonomy and informed participation.
Which of the following best distinguishes emic from etic perspectives in ethnography?
Answer: Emic reflects insider meanings; etic reflects outsider analytical categories
Emic perspectives represent how insiders interpret their own culture, while etic perspectives impose external analytical frameworks.
A researcher conducting focus groups notices that one dominant participant repeatedly silences others. The best methodological response is to:
Answer: Redirect conversation and use probing questions to elicit quieter voices
Skilled facilitation involves actively drawing out quieter members and managing group dynamics without abandoning the session.
Saturation in qualitative research is reached when:
Answer: New data no longer produces new themes or insights
Theoretical saturation means additional data collection yields no novel categories or dimensions, signaling sufficient depth of understanding.