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The University of the South Pacific
Serving the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
ED359: Educational Research
FINAL EXAMINATION SEMESTER 1, 2015
Online Mode
Time Allowed 3 hours plus 10 minutes reading
(40% of final grade)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. This examination has three sections:
a. Section A: Ten Multiple Choice Questions - 10 marks
b. Section B: Five short-answer questions - 50 marks
c. Section C: One essay question - 20 marks
2. Answer all questions in Sections A, B & C. There are no choices.
3. Write your answers on this question paper.
4. This exam is worth 40% of your overall mark. The minimum exam pass
mark is 16/40.
SURNAME: ________________ NAME: ___________________
SID: ____________________ CAMPUS: _________________
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SECTION A: MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS (10 MARKS)
Circle the letter that represents the best answer.
1. There is a set of churches in the U.S. where part of the service involves snake
handling. The researcher wants to find out why the people attending these churches do
this and how they feel and think about it. In this case, the primary purpose of the
study is
a. exploration
b. description
c. influence
d. prediction
2. Which scientific method is a bottom-up or generative approach to research?
a. Deductive method
b. Inductive method
c. Hypothesis method
d. Pattern method
3. _________ is the study of human consciousness and individuals’ experience of some
Phenomenon.
a. Grounded theory
b. Ethnography
c. Phenomenology
d. Case study research
4. You want to study a Native American group in New Mexico for a six month period to
learn all you can about them so you can write a book about that particular tribe. You
want the book to be accurate and authentic as well as informative and inspiring. What
type of research will you likely be conducting when you get to New Mexico?
a. Collective case study
b. Phenomenology
c. Grounded theory
d. Ethnography
5. __________ are the basic building blocks of qualitative data.
a. Categories
b. Units
c. Individuals
d. None of the above
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6. Qualitative research is often exploratory and has all of the following characteristics
except
a. it is used to generate hypotheses and develop theory about phenomena in the world
b. it relies on the collection of non-numerical data such as words and pictures
c. it is typically used when a great deal is already known about the topic of interest
d. it uses the inductive scientific method
7. Which of the following statements is true of a theory?
a. It simply means “explanation”
b. It answers the “how” and “why” questions
c. It can be a well-developed explanatory system
d. All of the above are correct
8. Which of the following includes examples of quantitative variables?
a. Age, temperature, income, height
b. Grade point average, anxiety level, reading performance
c. Gender, religion, ethnic group
d. Both a and b
9. Generalizing research findings from a sample to the population is most likely to be
justifiable when
a. a small systematic sample is used
b. cluster sampling is used in a large, heterogeneous population
c. a large random sample is used
d. the null hypothesis is confirmed, regardless of the sampling procedures used
10. Which of the following is the best synonym for reliability?
a. Consistency
b. Usefulness
c. Truthfulness
d. Economy
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SECTION B: SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS (50 MARKS)
Write your answers in the space provided in this paper
QUESTION 1 (5 marks)
a. ‘Research is not mere information gathering’.
In your own words, explain whether or not you agree with this statement and provide TWO
reasons to support your argument.
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b. Give THREE ways in which you think engaging in research is important for teachers.
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QUESTION 2 (8 marks)
Discuss the major characteristics of each type of research approach given.
i. A Case Study.
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ii. Anthropology.
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iii. Content Analysis.
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iv. Grounded theory
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QUESTION 3 (20 marks)
Read the following abstract and answer the questions that follow.
Jack is a head teacher in one of the rural secondary schools in the Pacific. He found that all of
the classrooms are overcrowded; the students do not have enough chairs and desks; the
teachers are over-worked, underpaid and unhappy about working conditions; the exam results
are rapidly falling and parents are upset. In short, there is a problem that needs a solution.
a. What do you think is the main problem in this situation? Discuss.
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b. Why do you think this is the main problem? Explain.
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c. List and explain THREE sub-problems related to the main problem you stated
above.
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d. If you are to do an investigation to find out the solution to this problem:
i. What will be the aim of your study? (State in one sentence).
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ii. State TWO important objectives of this study.
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e. Construct TWO research questions that you would like to answer in this study
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f. Briefly explain the methodology and method you will use to do this study.
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g. What will be the focus and limitation of your study? Explain.
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h. State two assumptions you will come up with in doing this particular study.
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QUESTION 4 (12 marks)
Discuss two important features concerning the following
research terms: (Choose any six.)
1. Inductive Reasoning
2. Literature Review
3. Method
4. Methodology
5. Descriptive Statistic
6. Assumptions
7. Limitation of the study
8. Variable
9. Interval Scale
10. Reliability
11. Research Ethics
12. Concurrent Validity
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Question 5 (5 marks)
Discuss FIVE major characteristics of the quantitative research paradigm.
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SECTION C: ESSAY (20 MARKS)
Answer this essay question on the space provided in this paper.
Interviewing, in some form, has been the workhorse for data collection in the two main
research methodologies such as positivist or quantitative, and interpretive or qualitative
research. While each methodology elicits information from respondents, the goals and
processes involved in interviewing vary considerably across these two methodologies. In
each case, discuss the similarities and differences in the use of the interview as a data
collection method.
[Word Limit: 1000 to 1,500 words].
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END OF PAPER
