Applied Social Research
Exam Answer Key
Course Introduction
Applied Social Research explores the principles and methods used to investigate and address real-world social issues. Students will learn to design, conduct, and analyze research using both quantitative and qualitative techniques. The course emphasizes ethical considerations, data collection, survey development, interviews, and data interpretation. Through hands-on projects, students gain practical skills to critically evaluate existing research and to generate evidence-based solutions in various social contexts, preparing them for careers in policy development, social services, and community organizations.
Recommended Textbook Research Methods for Social Work 8th Edition by Allen Rubin
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Why Study Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Our attempts to learn about the world we live in come from
A) direct experience.
B) tradition.
C) direct, personal inquiry.
D) authority.
E) all of the above.
Answer: E
Q2) The misuse of authority refers to experts who discuss their area of expertise in public.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) Researchers employing the scientific method should be open to the pursuit of evidence that disconfirms their conclusions.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 2: Evidence-Based Practice
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Q1) Whether practitioners need to evaluate the intervention they apply depends on how strong the existing research evidence is that supports that intervention.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which of the following statements is/are true about where a study is ranked on an EBP research hierarchy?
A) Randomized clinical trials are always ranked the highest.
B) How high or low a type of study is ranked depends on the nature and purpose of the EBP question.
C) Surveys are ranked near the bottom on all hierarchies.
D) None of the above.
Answer: B
Q3) Evidence about practice effectiveness will
A) always be conclusive.
B) sometimes indicate what actions NOT to take.
C) usually indicate what is effective with every client or situation.
D) will point toward taking an action that the client is certain to want.
Answer: B
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Chapter 3: Philosophy and Theory in Social Work Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) A probabilistic explanation takes the form
A) x is always y.
B) x is never y.
C) x tends to be y.
D) x is y if a and b are true.
E) None of the above is probabilistic.
Answer: C
Q2) A study that attempts to gather data as ammunition for advocating for a particular cause is being guided by what paradigm?
A) early positivism.
B) postpositivism.
C) interpretivism.
D) critical social science.
Answer: D
Q3) "African American" is a variable that has the attribute of "ethnicity."
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 4: Comparing Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed
Methods of Inquiry
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Q1) Problem formulation is the last phase of the research process in mixed-methods studies.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements is/are true about the research process?
A) There is often movement back and forth across beginning phases.
B) Writing any part of the research report should be delayed until all the data are analyzed and interpreted.
C) It ends with the completion of a study.
D) All of the above.
Q3) Compared to quantitative studies,qualitative studies are more likely to:
A) be inductive.
B) have a larger sample size.
C) use less time consuming data collection methods.
D) Ask close-ended questions.
E) All of the above.
Q4) Provide an example of how quantitative and qualitative methods can be complimentary in the same study
Page 6
Q5) Describe the contrasting emphases of quantitative and qualitative studies.
Q6) Identify and briefly describe seven main phases in the research process.
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Chapter 5: The Ethics and Politics of Social Work Research
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Q1) Which of the following statements is/are true about the Tuskegee syphilis study?
A) It was stopped shortly after it began.
B) Despite the controversy surrounding it, ethicists agreed that its benefits justified its risks.
C) A social worker was instrumental in getting it stopped.
D) Physicians were NOT involved in it.
Q2) Which of the following statements is/are true about the dilemma involving the right to receive services versus the responsibility to evaluate service effectiveness?
A) This is not really a dilemma, since no conflict in values is involved.
B) All professionals agree that services should never be delayed, even if their effects have not yet been verified.
C)No professionals question the ethics of providing untested services, as long as we have good intentions.
D) All of the above are true.
E) None of the above is true.
Q3) Explain why bias and insensitivity regarding gender and culture in a study's methodology can be relevant to the ethics of the study.
Q4) Illustrate how ethics and politics affect social work research.
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Chapter 6: Culturally Competent Research
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Q1) A good way to ensure that your data analysis is culturally competent is to combine all minority groups together as one category to compare to the majority group in the data analysis.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Describe the steps you would take to maximize the recruitment and retention of recently immigrated substance abusing Mexican American youths and their parents in a longitudinal evaluation of the effectiveness of a family-oriented substance program in Laredo a U.S.city located on the Texas-Mexico border.
Q3) When recruiting minority and oppressed populations in research studies,you should A) use exactly the same informed consent procedures as with the majority population. B) use the same types of advertisements or referral sources as with the majority population.
C) obtain endorsemenor your study from community leaders.
D) avoid the use of community members as research staff.
Q4) Explain the difference between linguistic,conceptual and metric equivalence.
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Chapter 7: Problem Formulation
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Q1) In a study in which a researcher examined major U.S.newspaper editorials that dealt with the topic of public welfare,the unit of analysis was
A) public welfare.
B) major U.S.cities.
C) newspapers.
D) newspaper editorials.
E) welfare recipients.
Q2) If researchers wanted to find the average age of all licensed social workers in a country,they would undertake:
A) a descriptive study.
B) a trend study
C) a cohort study.
D)an exploratory study.
E) an explanatory study.
Q3) The more certain we are in advance of the answer to the research question,the better the research question.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: Conceptualization in Quantitative and Qualitative Inquiry
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Q1) If we study whether motivational interviewing is effective in treating substance abuse by the mechanism of increasing the likelihood that clients will complete substance abuse treatment programs,then whether clients complete such programs is our mediating variable.
A)True
B)False
Q2) If we find that self-esteem is higher among children who are more active in sports,we have found what type of relationship?
A) positive.
B) negative.
C) curvilinear.
D) causal.
Q3) Construct a hypothesis predicting that a particular intervention will be effective regarding a particular long-term outcome.Then identify a mediating variable and a moderating variable that could be assessed in testing the hypothesis.Explain why one variable is the mediating variable and the other is the moderating one.
Q4) Examining police records of the number of arrests for domestic violence is an example of the use of self-report as a source of data for an operational definition.
Page 11
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Chapter 9: Measurement
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Q1) Reliability involves
A) whether a particular technique applied repeatedly to the same object would yield the same results each time.
B) ensuring accuracy.
C) ensuring that your measure measures what you think it should measure.
D) ensuring precision,
Q2) Unobtrusive observation can be used for the purpose of minimizing social desirability bias.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The tendency to give a favorable impression of oneself is an example of random error.
A)True
B)False
Q4) If a measure is valid,it must also be reliable.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Given a scale to measure family risk of child abuse or neglect,contrast a way to measure the criterion-related validity of the scale with a way to measure that scale's construct validity.
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Chapter 10: Constructing Measurement Instruments
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Q1) When the variable "marital status" is classified as never married,currently married,or currently married but separated,this variable has the important quality/ qualities of being
A) mutually exclusive.
B) exhaustive.
C) interchangeable.
D) ratio scale.
Q2) Identify acceptable options for handling missing data in an index or scale.
Q3) Which of the following statements is/are true about questionnaires?
A) Researchers can avoid the need for pretesting if they are very careful in the way they word questions.
B) Because it is virtually impossible to avoid some mistakes in wording, questionnaires should be pretested in a dry run.
C) When pretesting, the pretest sample should be very large.
D)When pretesting your questionnaire, it's better to ask people to read through it looking for errors rather than to complete the questionnaire.
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Chapter 11: Causal Inference and Experimental Designs
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Q1) A study evaluates the effectiveness of a child abuse prevention program by comparing the rate of child abuse among parents who chose to participate in the program to the rate of parents who declined participation.This design fails to control for:
A) selection biases
B) correlation.
C) testing effects.
D) instrumentation changes
Q2) Explain the elements of the classical experimental design.Is this design especially useful in dealing with causal relationships? If yes,why? If not,why?
Q3) Which of the following statement best describes the criteria for inferring or causality?
A) A relationship must exist between variables.
B) One variable must precede the other in time.
C) A third variable did not cause the changes observed in the first two variables.
D) A relationship must exist between two variables, with the cause preceding the effect in time, and the relationship cannot be explained away by the influence of a third variable.
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Chapter 12: Quasi-Experimental Designs
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Q1) Time-series designs with many measurement points control for statistical regression. A)True B)False
Q2) Identify and explain four practical pitfalls commonly encountered when carrying out experiments and quasi-experiments in social agencies.
Q3) Time-series designs with many measurement points control for maturation.
A)True B)False
Q4) Which of the following statements is true about client recruitment and retention in experimental and quasi-experimental evaluations in social work agencies?
A) Referring agencies almost never dump clients that they don't want to serve.
B) Referring agencies are usually eager to refer clients.
C) Referring agencies might resent having their referrals assigned to a control condition.
D)Clients usually welcome the use of randomized procedures to determine which service they receive.
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Chapter 13: Single-Case Evaluation Designs
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Q1) Identify the major advantages and disadvantages of each of the following single-case designs:a.AB designb.ABAB designc.multiple baseline design
Q2) In single-case experiments,increasing the number of measurement points:
A) makes it more difficult to identify precipitating conditions during assessment. B) makes it harder to change the intervention plan at the point at which no progress is occurring.
C) increases our ability to pinpoint unlikely coincidences and therefore infer what is causing changes in the dependent variable. D) lessens internal validity.
Q3) Suppose you instruct a couple to have a typical conversation while you observe them in your office.This would be an example of A) unobtrusive observation.
B) research reactivity. C) obtrusive observation.
D) interval recording.
Q4) Explain why it is important to obtain a stable baseline,if possible.Explain your answer in connection to threats to internal validity.
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Chapter 14: Program Evaluation
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Q1) The extent of need for a program or service always is accurately gauged by the amount of expressed demand for that program or service.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following statements is true about evaluation for program planning?
A) A prime advantage of the key informants approach to needs assessment is that the information comes directly from the target population.
B) It makes a difference whether we define needs in normative terms or in terms of demand.
C) Feasibility problems are the prime disadvantage of the community forum approach to needs assessment.
D) A prime disadvantage of the social indicators approach to needs assessment is its obtrusiveness.
Q3) If a rigorous experimental assessment of program outcome finds that a program is not effective in attaining its goals,then there is no need to evaluate the program's implementation.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 15: Sampling
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Sample Questions
Q1) Sampling error is reduced through an increase in the sample size.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In qualitative research,the informants selected should usually be somewhat typical of the groups being studied.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Every kth element in a list is chosen for inclusion in the sample in
A) simple random sampling.
B) systematic sampling.
C) disproportionate sampling.
D) cluster sampling.
E) stratified sampling.
Q4) Multi-stage cluster sampling requires a complete listing of all the elements in a population.
A)True
B)False
Q5) What is the basic logic of probability sampling? How do such concepts as homogeneity,heterogeneity,sampling bias,representativeness,and probability of selection fit into this logic?
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Chapter 16: Survey Research
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Sample Questions
Q1) Identify three do's and three don'ts among the tips for conducting online surveys.
Q2) Interview surveys have a number of advantages over mail surveys.Which of the following is NOT one of those advantages?
A) Higher response rates.
B) There is generally a smaller number of 'don't knows' and 'no answers.'
C) There are a smaller number of relevant responses given.
D) Observations can be made.
Q3) Which of the following statements is recommended in email invitations to participate in an online survey?
A) Place the URL link to the survey site at the bottom of the screen under your invitation to participate.
B) Always send the email invitation early in the morning, regardless of the type of people you are surveying
C) Offer to share selected results from the study with everyone who completes the survey.
D) Avoid using a prize drawing as an incentive to participate.
Q4) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of online surveys.
Q5) Give a comparative analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of survey research.
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Chapter 17: Analyzing Existing Data: Quantitative and Qualitative Methods
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following statements is true about utilizing official records for data?
A) The reliability of the data is guaranteed.
B) The validity of the data is guaranteed.
C) The accuracy of the data is guaranteed.
D) Neither the reliability, validity or accuracy of the data is guaranteed.
Q2) Unobtrusive measures can reduce the problem of
A) the researcher's impact on the phenomenon being studied.
B) invalid operationalization of concepts.
C) unreliable measurements.
D) invalid measurement.
E) none of the above.
Q3) Standard probability sampling techniques should NOT be used in content analysis.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Describe a study for which the secondary analysis of existing data is the appropriate research method.What source would you use? What problems might you encounter and how would you resolve them?
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Chapter 18: Qualitative Research: General Principles
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Q1) In comparison to surveys,qualitative research is
A) more subjective and more generalizable.
B) less subjective and more generalizable.
C) more subjective and less generalizable.
D) less subjective and less generalizable.
Q2) When qualitative studies involve observing people in their natural environment,ethical issues are less likely to be a concern than in other types of research.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Prolonged engagement is discouraged in qualitative research be4cause it increases the risk of reactivity and respondent bias.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Sampling in qualitative and quantitative research is similar in that both types of inquiry are most likely to use probability sampling techniques.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 19: Qualitative Research: Specific Methods
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Q1) Group conformity or groupthink is a potential disadvantage of focus groups.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Which of the following is good advice about recording observations in the field?
A) Don't trust your memory any more than you have to.
B) You must always constantly take notes while you are observing.
C) Make at least six copies of your notes.
D) Advance preparation on recording anticipated observations will hinder recording unanticipated observations.
Q3) Which of the following statements is true about the emic and etic perspectives?
A) They both emphasize maintaining your objectivity.
B) They both deemphasize maintaining your objectivity
C) You must adopt one perspective or the other, rather than try to adopt both postures.
D) It is difficult, yet possible, to assume both the emic and the etic perspectives.
Q4) Explain what is meant by reflexivity and why it is a key part of qualitative research.
Q5) How does qualitative interviewing differ from quantitative survey interviewing?
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Chapter 20: Qualitative Data Analysis
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Q1) Code notes
A)cover reflections about the dimensions of concepts.
B)cover relationships among concepts.
C)identify the code labels and their meanings.
D)discuss the deeper meanings of concepts.
Q2) Which of the following is TRUE of variable-oriented analysis?
A) It is similar to the idiographic model of explanation.
B) It assumes that the researcher can predict every individual's behavior.
C) It assumes that the researcher can explain one person's motivations in full.
D) It provides a partial explanation of overall orientations and actions.
Q3) If Wang from the previous question decided to look at whether grandparents who have grandchildren living with them later obtain custody of the grandchildren and then later adopt the grandchildren,Wang would be looking at
A) frequencies.
B) causes.
C) processes.
D) structures.
E) magnitudes.
Q4) Describe how coding,memoing,and concept mapping are used in qualitative analysis.
23
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Chapter 21: Quantitative Data Analysis
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Q1) A researcher measured attitudes about a proposed health reform bill with the categories strongly agree,agree,indifferent,disagree,and strongly disagree.The researcher was using the ______ level of measurement.
A) nominal
B) interval
C) ratio
D) ordinal
Q2) Professor Jones asked respondents for the exact number of times they had to evacuate their home because of a hurricane.Jones,therefore,is measuring this variable at the ________ level.
A) nominal
B) interval
C) ratio
D) ordinal
Q3) Given the following age distribution,the mean is 16,31,5,30,4,3,2
A) 2
B) 5
C) 13
D) 30
Q4) What is the purpose of data cleaning? How is it done?
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Chapter 22: Inferential Data Analysis
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Q1) When a finding is statistically significant:
A)alternative explanations other than the independent variable are not plausible.
B)a strong relationship has been observed.
C)it is an importaninding.
D)its meaning depends on the rigor of the research methods.
Q2) A researcher conducts a test of statistical significance and finds a probability of less than .05.The researcher should NOT conclude that A)it is improbable that the observed relationship could have resulted from sampling error alone.
B)the null hypothesis was rejected.
C)there is a statistically significant relationship at the .05 level.
D)the results have important implications for social work.
Q3) The odds ratio shows how much more or less likely a certain dependent variable outcome is for categories of the independent variable
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain the difference between statistical significance,relationship strength,and substantive significance.
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Chapter 23: Inferential Data Analysis
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Q1) Which of the following statements is/are true about a multivariate statistical analyses in which variable A has a .20 correlation with variable C,and variable B has a .20 correlation with variable C?
A)Variables A and B together must accounor 40 percent of the variation in variable C.
B) Variables A and B together must accounor 4 percent of the variation in variable C.
C) If variables A and B are correlated with each other, then variables A and B together will accounor less than 40 percent of the variation in variable C.
D) If variables A and B are correlated with each other, then variables A and B together will accounor more than 40 percent of the variation in variable C.
Q2) One of the best ways to determine which hypotheses have been tested is to firsind which variables are significantly related.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Describe the controversy regarding statistical significance testing with population data.
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Chapter 24: Writing Research Proposals and Reports
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Q1) The measurement section of a research proposal should A) report specific reliability and validity data about scales to be used.
B) address the sensitivity of scales to be used.
C) incorporate triangulation.
D) do all of these.
Q2) The presentation of data analyses in research reports should provide a maximum of detail without being cluttered.
A)True
B)False
Q3) When writing the Discussion section of a research report, researchers should feel encouraged to editorialize conclusions that might not be warranted by their data.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A good abstract does NOT include a statement about:
A) the purpose of the research.
B) the findings of each table and graph.
C) the major findings.
D) the methods used.
Q5) Describe how qualitative research reports often differ from quantitative ones.
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