8/8/2019 INST 381: Midterm Study Guide

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INST 381: Research Methods Fall 2010

Midterm Exam Study Guide

The midterm exam is worth 20% of your final semester grade. The exam should take about 50 minutes.

You are allowed one 3x5 index card with notes (on both sides). I suggest spending no more than 15

minutes on the vocabulary section, another 15 minutes on the short answer, and the remaining time on the

analysis section. Each section is worth a third of the exam grade.

Vocabulary

This portion of the exam will ask you to correctly identity 10 terms using multiple choice, drawn from the

following list of vocabulary terms:

concept

variable

reliability

validity

hypothesis

theory

operationalization

inverse relationship

proxy variable

dependent variable

independent variable

intervening variable

paradigm

nominal measure

ordinal measure

interval measure

relational analysis

descriptive study

Short Answer

I will select two of the following questions for you to answer. Aim for about 2-3 paragraphsper essay.

1. Hoover & Donovan introduce four different levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal,

interval, and ratio (see Chapter 5). Briefly describe how you would measure one of the variables

inyour thesis projectusing two differenttypes of measures. In your answer, be sure to clearly

demonstrate how each type of measurement is different, and what types of questions (or relations

to other variables) each measure can or cannot help answer.

2. Baglione introduces us to two basic types of analysis (see Chapter 7): qualitative and

quantitative (and a third, mixed category). Briefly describe how you might use both types of

analysis foryour thesis. In your answer, be sure to clearly demonstrate what kind of data you

would use for each type of analysis.

3. We discussed three types of comparative studies: large-N (many cases), comparative (few

cases), and single-case studies. Briefly describe how you might developyour thesis as two of

these types of studies. In your answer, be sure to clearly demonstrate how you would select cases

for each type of study.

Analysis

I will provide you with a brief research article. You will have to correctly answer the following:

What is the research question?

What is the theoretical framework or model?

What is the hypothesis?

What are the independent and dependent variables?