CQP Intermediate Level
Research Methodology flashcards
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What four characteristics define scientific research, and what two properties follow from them?
Systematic: the plan is set before the data is collected. Controlled: competing explanations are ruled out deliberately. Empirical: conclusions rest on observation others could repeat. Critical: the researcher looks for the weaknesses in their own work. From these, research is public (described fully enough to repeat) and self-correcting (findings are provisional).
What three conditions must all hold before something is a research problem?
1. A felt difficulty: something is wrong, unexplained or unknown, and somebody cares. 2. At least two possible answers. 3. Evidence can be gathered that discriminates between those answers. A topic, such as 'quality management systems in Kenya', meets none of them.
What is the decision rule for the null hypothesis, and why is H0 never 'accepted'?
Reject H0 if p < alpha; otherwise fail to reject H0. Alpha is fixed before analysis, conventionally 0.05. Failing to reject is not acceptance, because absence of evidence of an effect is not evidence of its absence. Writing 'the null hypothesis was accepted' is an error examiners look for.
What three words define a literature review, and how is it organised?
Systematic: the search is planned and documented so others could repeat it. Critical: each source is evaluated, not merely reported. Synthesised: organised by theme, variable or argument, not by author. Paragraphs each beginning 'Mwangi (2021) found...' make an annotated bibliography, the commonest failing.
State Yamane's formula and apply it to a population of 143 firms at e = 0.05.
n = N / (1 + N e^2) n = 143 / (1 + 143 x 0.0025) = 143 / 1.3575 = 105.3, so n = 106. e is the acceptable margin of error as a proportion; 0.05 gives roughly 95 per cent confidence.
What is the difference between reliability and validity, and how do they depend on each other?
Reliability is consistency: the same result under the same conditions. Validity is truth: the instrument measures what it claims to measure. An instrument can be reliable without being valid (a thermometer reading 3 degrees low every time), but it cannot be valid without being reliable.
What does the law require before research is conducted in Kenya, and what does the application need?
A research licence from the National Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI), under the Science, Technology and Innovation Act, 2013. The online application needs an introductory letter from your institution, the approved proposal, the data collection instruments and a fee. Allow several weeks.
How does statistical significance differ from practical significance?
Statistical: is the effect larger than sampling variation would produce? It depends heavily on sample size. Practical: is the effect large enough to matter for a decision? It depends on cost, risk and alternatives, not on sample size. With 4,000 observations a difference of 0.2 defects per 1,000 units is significant and worth nothing, so always report an effect size beside the p-value.
What job does each of the three sections of the final chapter do?
Summary of findings: what did the study find? Past tense, factual, no interpretation. Conclusions: what do the findings mean for the objectives? Present tense, one per specific objective. Recommendations: what should be done, by whom, on what evidence? Each traceable to a conclusion.
How are one author, three or more authors, and a direct quotation cited in the text under APA seventh edition?
One author: (Juran, 1999) or Juran (1999) argued that... Three or more authors: (Otieno et al., 2019) from the first citation onwards. Direct quotation: (Juran, 1999, p. 214). A page number is mandatory for a quotation.
What is the unit of analysis, and what error does confusing it cause?
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How does a concept become something a study can measure?
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What is the difference between a parameter and a statistic?
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On what six independent axes can a study be classified?
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What is the main weakness of tradition as a source of knowledge, and how should research treat it?
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How do the ten steps of the research process divide between the proposal and the project?
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What does FINER stand for in choosing a research problem?
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Which verbs should research objectives use, and which should they avoid?
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What are Type I and Type II errors, and what is power?
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When should an alternative hypothesis state a direction, and what is the risk?
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What is HARKing, and what should be done instead?
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How are sources ranked in the evidence hierarchy?
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What is publication bias, and how does a review guard against it?
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What does institutional theory predict about ISO 9001 certification?
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What does contingency theory hold, and which kind of hypothesis rests on it?
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What is the difference between a moderating and a mediating variable?
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What are the four levels of measurement, and what does each allow?
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Name the seven kinds of knowledge gap that can justify a study.
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What three tests must every conceptual framework pass?
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What is the difference between a method and a methodology?
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What three conditions must hold before a study can claim cause and effect?
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What is a quasi-experimental design, and why is it common in quality work?
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What defines probability sampling, and why does it matter?
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Allocate a sample of 106 proportionately across strata of 78 small, 41 medium and 24 large firms (N = 143).
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What is Cochran's formula, and why is p set at 0.5 when unknown?
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When is a census the right choice for a CQP project, and what does it avoid?
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How does quota sampling differ from stratified random sampling?
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What is cluster sampling, and what is its design effect?
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State the formula for Cronbach's alpha and the conventional bands.
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What do internal and external validity ask, and how is each established?
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What is the difference between anonymity and confidentiality?
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Which Data Protection Act, 2019 principles bind a researcher collecting personal data?
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What three things decide which statistical technique to use?
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In a regression output, what is the difference between B and Beta?
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What is data dredging, or p-hacking, and why does it produce false findings?
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What makes a recommendation worth marks?
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What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?
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Compare the in-text form and list title of APA, MLA, Harvard and Chicago.
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How do you decide whether material belongs in an appendix, and how are appendices ordered?
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What must an introductory letter to respondents contain?
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How to revise with these cards
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- Shuffle once you know the order, so you are not answering from memory of the sequence.
- When a card catches you out, read the chapter it links to, then try the topic in a past paper.