Sociology
280.003, Fall 2006
Second Exam
Study Guide
The second exam
(on Wed. Dec. 13 at 12:30pm) will cover Schutt Chapters 5, 8, 9, 13 and 14, as
well as class lectures, team presentations and material covered in group
activities both in and outside of class. The following questions are meant to
guide your studying, particularly in relation to the textbook chapters.
Online study
site for Schutt: http://www.pineforge.com/isw5/index.htm
Study
Questions
Schutt Chapter 5 - Sampling
In social
science terms, what are a sample, a sampling frame, elements, units, and a
population?
What are the
most important questions to be asked in determining generalizability of a
sample? (or, what are the two different meanings of
"generalizability?")
What is a
representative sample and what are its characteristics (relative to the
population)?
What is it
called when a social scientist collects data from the entire population?
What is the difference
between a probability sample and a nonprobability sample?
In the context
of sampling, what is meant by "random?" What's the difference between
"random" and "haphazard?"
What are the
major influences on the degree of sampling error due to chance (p. 142)?
Be able to define,
explain the differences among, and describe the techniques of the following:
simple random sampling, systematic random sampling, stratified random sampling
(proportionate and disproportionate), cluster sampling, availability/convenience
sampling, quota sampling, purposive sampling, snowball sampling. Under what conditions
is it preferable to use each of these sampling methods, and why?
|
Sampling
Method |
Definition |
Purpose |
When to use |
Techniques (how-to's) |
|
Simple random |
|
|
|
|
|
Syst. random |
|
|
|
|
|
Strat. Random (prop/disp) |
|
|
|
|
|
Cluster |
|
|
|
|
|
Availability |
|
|
|
|
|
Quota |
|
|
|
|
|
Purposive |
|
|
|
|
|
Snowball |
|
|
|
|
Based on the NYT
articles we read, what were the main issues of contention regarding sampling
and the U.S. Census?
What are the advantages
of survey research?
What types of
errors must be minimized in survey research?
What are the
do's and don'ts of writing survey questions? (or, the characteristics of
"good" and "bad" survey questions?
What are
fence-sitting and floating, and how do you minimize them?
Under what
conditions is an index useful, and how do you construct one?
What's a
questionnaire? An interview schedule?
What is a
context effect?
What are the different
methods of administering surveys, and the advantages and disadvantages of each?
What are
fixed-choice and open-ended questions?
What are the
three fundamental practices of qualitative research methods, what are the
techniques of each, and under what conditions is each used?
How did
qualitative methods initially develop?
What is a case
study?
What are the differences
between, advantages and disadvantages of covert and overt observation?
What are some important
considerations for a researcher entering the field?
What is
theoretical sampling? How do you do it? What is "saturation" and how
do you know when it is reached?
What are the
steps to writing good field notes?
How do/should
researchers manage/reflect on their roles (particularly the impact of their
presence) in research settings?
What is a
systematic observational strategy and when/why is such a strategy useful?
What are the techniques
of conducting good qualitative interviews/focus groups and collecting valid,
reliable data from them?
What are the advantages
and challenges of secondary data analysis? What kinds of questions should the
researcher ask about secondary data before conducting analysis?
What is content
analysis, and what are its goals? Is it qualitative or quantitative?
In content
analysis, what are a population, units of analysis, and sampling units?
What are a
codebook and a coding form, and how do you construct them?
What are
descriptive and inferential statistics?
When do you use
a bar chart, histogram, or a line graph/frequency polygon to display frequency
data?
What is a
frequency distribution and what are its components?
What is central
tendency? What are the three measures of central tendency, how are they
determined/calculated, and with what levels of measurement do you use each?
What is the
purpose of measures of variation? What are the main measures of variation and
how are they calculated?
How do you
construct a crosstab for a bivariate relationship? How do you construct a
crosstab to display the relationship among three or more variables?
What aspects of
association are revealed in a crosstab table? (or, what four questions need to
be answered to characterize an association among variables?)
What are
chi-square and p-value? What is meant by any given p-value?
What is the standard
criterion for statistical significance?
What does p-value signify for coefficients in a regression table?