E-research: Internet research method

Question 1

Which of the following is not a problem associated with using web sites as sources of data?

a) The sample of web sites is only as good as the keywords used to search for them

b) It is difficult to find any web sites about most topics in social research

c) New web sites are constantly appearing while others are disappearing

d) The content of web sites is likely to change as they are updated

Question 2

What is distinctive about asynchronous online communication?

a) The interviewer and their respondents write at different times

b) It cannot take place on the World Wide Web

c) It occurs in real time, with participants responding to questions immediately

d) It cannot be conducted by email

Question 3

What is a virtual ethnography?

a) The use of visual data rather than written texts for content analysis

b) A technique used to facilitate online focus groups

c) A study that uses participant observation but not interviewing

d) An ethnographic study of an online community or social setting

Question 4

Which of the following is a practical problem associated with asynchronous focus groups?

a) It is difficult to send out a welcome message to participants this way

b) Moderators cannot be available online 24 hours a day

c) Not all participants will have access to the required conferencing software

d) Participants do not have enough time to write detailed responses

Question 5

An advantage of conducting an interview online rather than face-to-face is that:

a) it saves time and money as no travelling is involved

b) informants have more time to give detailed, considered responses

c) there is no need to transcribe the data

d) all of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is not a disadvantage of conducting focus groups online?

a) Those who are fastest at typing may dominate the discussions

b) It is more difficult to establish rapport without non-verbal cues

c) Normally shy participants may find it easier to "speak" in this setting

d) It is easier for people to ignore questions or drop out of the study

Question 7

The two ways of distributing on-line surveys are:

a) Quantitatively and qualitatively

b) With an interview schedule or an observation schedule

c) By email and via the World Wide Web

d) Face-to-face or by post

Question 8

What is the main advantage of an attached email questionnaire over an embedded one?

a) It retains more of the original formatting and so tends to look more attractive

b) It requires less expertise for the respondent to open and reply to it

c) Recipients will be reassured that the message does not contain a virus

d) It is easier to code the answers from this type of questionnaire

Question 9

Why is it argued that samples recruited online are not representative of the general population?

a) Because online researchers only use random probability sampling methods

b) Because Internet users are most likely to be white, young and middle class

c) Because women are less likely than men to volunteer for online social research

d) None of the above

Question 10

What is the advantage of using Internet surveys to supplement traditional postal questionnaires?

a) Postal questionnaires generally produce a higher response rate

b) It makes all of the data more directly comparable

c) Online social surveys generally produce a higher response rate

d) It allows people to respond in the way that is most convenient for them

 

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