Glossary

A brief overview of a research project, which describes the participants or units of observation, the design, the procedures, and the main findings in no more than 250 words.

Patterns of selective use and non-use based on accumulation.

Social research carried out by a team that encompasses a professional action researcher and the members of an organization, community, or network (stakeholders) who are seeking to improve the participants’ situation.

A technique in which the interviewer demonstrates an understanding of what is being said and expressed through appropriate feedback.

An informed consent discussion that takes place with each participant in the setting in lieu of a signed informed consent statement.

A state of being unknown. In the case of research, this means a researcher cannot link any individual response to its originator.

Scientific research that is conducted to address a problem or issue.

Historical documents, records, or collections detailing the activities of businesses, agencies, institutions, governments, groups, or individuals.

Questions designed to measure points of view toward an attitude object, such as a person or an event.

Attempts made by a researcher to carefully document the research process in its entirety.

A source of information that is perceived to possess specialized knowledge.

An experimental design that includes random assignment, an experimental and a control group, the manipulation of an independent variable, and a post-test measurement of the dependent variable.

Scientific research that is conducted to advance knowledge.

Questions designed to find out more about the respondent’s activities.

A moral principle outlining that in the planning and conducting of research with human participants, the researcher maximizes the possible benefits and minimizes the potential harms from the research.

A type of design in which the experimental group is exposed to only one level of the independent variable.

Research on a small number of individuals or an organization carried out over an extended period.

An experimental design that includes random assignment, an experimental and a control group, a pre-test measure of a dependent variable, the manipulation of an independent variable, and a post-test measure of the same dependent variable.

A question prompting an answer selected from a pre-determined set of responses provided.

Questions used to bring closure to the interview by re-establishing distance between the interviewer and interviewee.

A probability-based method for selecting groups for a sample, based on their geographic location.

A detailed listing of how each variable is coded in the data set, along with information on the methodology underlying the original study.

The process of transforming raw data into a standardized form.

Research on the same category of people carried out at multiple points in time.

Practical knowledge based on adaptive forms of prior learning.

A participant observation role in which the researcher covertly observes a group but is not a group member and does not participate in any way.

A covert participant observation role in which the researcher systematically observes a group as a full member whose identity and research purpose is unknown to the group members.

A telephone-based interview method in which the interviewer inputs survey responses directly into a software program.

Abstract mental representations of important elements in our social world.

The process where a researcher explains what a concept means in terms of a research project.

Steps taken to protect the welfare of research participants, in terms of both harm and other foreseeable risks associated with participation in a given study.

An estimated range that is likely to contain the true population value based on the sample value.

The process of maintaining privacy. In research, this means even when a participant’s identity is known to the researcher, steps are taken to make sure it is not made public.

Intangible idea that does not exist independent of our thinking.

Assesses the extent to which an instrument is associated with other logically related measures of the intended construct.

A repertoire of methods that allow researchers to make inferences from all kinds of verbal, pictorial, symbolic, and communication data.

Assesses the extent to which an instrument contains the full range of content pertaining to the intended construct.

A complicated notion that locates and explains action-interaction within a background of conditions and anticipated consequences.

A question prompting additional information about a previous item identified as relevant for the respondent.

An observation-based data coding method in which every separate and distinct instance of a variable is recorded during a set observation period.

The group that does not experience the independent variable in an experiment.

A non-probability method used to obtain a sample based on availability.

A mixed-method design in which qualitative and quantitative methods are employed concurrently, with independent data collection and analysis compared in the final interpretation.

A method for assessing the overall costs incurred by a program relative to outcome measures.

A type of error that results when the list from which sample members are drawn does not accurately represent the population on the characteristic(s) one wants to estimate with the survey data.

An assessment of the goodness of fit between the respondent’s view of reality and a researcher’s representation of it.

Assesses the extent to which an instrument holds up to an external standard, such as the ability to predict future events.

A worldview that is critical of paradigms that fail to acknowledge the role of power in the creation of knowledge and that is aimed at bringing about empowering change.

Research conducted at a single point in time.

The principle that people’s beliefs and activities should be understood and interpreted within the context of their own culture.

Information gathered through research techniques.

The statistical format in which data are saved or stored.

The number and organizational nature of distinct files that compose a data collection and the relationship among those data.

The reliance on multiple data sources in a single study.

The full disclosure and exchange of information that occurs upon completion of a study.

A process of conducting research in such a way that the worldview of those who have suffered a long history of oppression and marginalization are given space to communicate from their frames of reference.

A theory-driven approach that typically concludes with empirical generalizations based on research findings.

Questions designed to collect facts about a respondent’s age, race/ethnicity, education, job, gender, marital status, geographic place of residence, type of residence, size of family, and so on.

An assessment of the researcher’s process as well documented and verifiable.

The variable that is measured in an experiment and is the outcome.

Research undertaken to identify the main traits or characteristics of a population or phenomenon of interest.

All computer-mediated internet and digitally enabled media through which data can be collected, shared, and analyzed.

A sampling method used deliberately to obtain a different ratio of relevant characteristics than what exists in the population.

A question prompting a single answer to a combination of questions.

Data collection techniques carried out using systematic procedures which are widely recognized by other researchers and produce verifiable findings.

A data-reduction method used to simplify observations by using categorizations.

Patterns of selective use based on wear.

Questions that exclusively concern the central focus of the study.

Conduct that is considered “morally right” or “morally wrong,” as specified by codified and culturally ingrained principles, constraints, rules, and guidelines.

Social scientists who undertake research and writing about groups of people by systematically observing and participating (to a greater or lesser degree) in the lives of the people they study.

A multi-method approach to field research that is used to study a social group or culture in its natural setting over time.

Research undertaken to assess whether a program or policy is effective in reaching its desired goals and objectives.

Comprehensive enough to include all likely responses.

First-hand observations or recollections of first-hand events that serve as sources of knowledge.

A research method in which a researcher manipulates an independent variable to examine its effects on a dependent variable.

The group that experiences the independent variable in an experiment.

The course of participant drop-out over time.

The tendency for researchers to influence the behaviour of research participants in a manner that favours the outcomes they anticipate.

A mixed-method design which a quantitative method is employed first and then the findings are followed up on using a qualitative method.

Research undertaken to clarify the variation found between groups on some dimension of interest.

A mixed-method design in which a qualitative method is employed first and then the findings are used to help develop a subsequent quantitative-method–based phase.

Research undertaken to find out more about an area of interest.

The generalizability of an experimental effect.

Questions roughly equivalent to essential ones that are used to assess reliability.

Assesses the extent to which an instrument appears to be a good measure of the intended construct.

A naturally occurring experiment that takes place in a real-life setting.

Detailed records about what a researcher hears, sees, experiences, and thinks about while immersed in the social setting.

Charts or graphs used to display results based on how a variable is measure.

The last interview question, in the form of a general inquiry to determine if the participant has any questions about the study or further comments to make.

A small discussion group led by a skilled interviewer that is designed to obtain views and feelings about a topic of interest through group interaction.

Questions specific to comments made that are used to clarify main ideas.

The study of behaviour based on the analysis of waste.

People who have power to grant or deny permission to do a study in the field.

A form of visual communication, usually illegal, involving the unauthorized marking of public space by an individual or group.

Theory discovered from the systematic observation and analysis of data.

Changes in the dependent measure attributed to external events outside of the experiment.

A testable statement that contains at least two variables.

An opening question that is used specifically to establish rapport.

Faulty decision making based on a failure consider the most appropriate sources of information.

Everyday errors made as a function of our limited ability to perceive, store, and later accurately recall information.

An evaluation that is headed up by a researcher who is not a primary stakeholder for the program under consideration.

The variable that is manipulated in an experiment and is presumed to be the cause of some outcome.

A composite measure of a construct comprising several different indicators that produce a shared outcome.

A measurable quantity that in some sense stands for or substitutes for something less readily measurable.

Diverse learning processes that come from living intimately with the land and working with the resources surrounding the land base and the relationships that it has fostered over time and place.

A bottom-up approach beginning with observations and ending with the discovery of patterns and themes informed by theory.

A process where potential participants are provided with all relevant details of the study needed to make a knowledgeable judgment about whether to participate in it.

Differences produced by changes in the way the dependent variable is measured.

Demonstrated associations among multiple items representing a single concept.

Consistency between the same measures for a variable of interest provided by two independent raters.

The capacity to demonstrate an experimental effect and to rule out rival explanations for that effect.

A worldview that rests on the assumption that reality is socially constructed and must be understood from the perspective of those experiencing it.

A level of measurement in which the distance between categories of the variable of interest is meaningful.

A series of key questions that provide the framework for an interview.

A moral principle of rightness claiming that in the course of research, researchers behave and make decisions in a manner that demonstrates social responsibility in relation to the distribution of harm versus benefits.

A member of the setting who is willing to act as a guide or assistant within the setting.

Questions designed to gauge whether respondents can retrieve and correctly report on facts about some area of interest.

Implied meaning inferred by the message.

Research conducted at multiple points in time.

The level of broader social forces.

Content stated in the message itself.

Changes in the dependent measure that result from naturally occurring processes within the research participants themselves over the period of treatment.

Attempts made by a researcher to validate findings by testing them with the original sources of the data.

The level of individual experiences and choices.

A research design that includes an explicit combination of qualitative and quantitative methods as framed by the research objectives.

A trained facilitator used in focus group research who guides the focus group discussion.

A case study strategy that focuses on two or more persons, organizations, events, or programs selected for the explicit purpose of comparison.

Response categories are separate and distinct from each other.

A systematic evaluation focused on improving an existing condition through the identification of a problem and a means for addressing it.

A question comprising the negative form of a statement.

A level of measurement used to classify cases.

A method in which the chance of selection of an individual or element in the population is unknown.

The difference between the estimate produced when only some of the sampled units respond compared to when all of them respond.

A set of ethical directives for human experimentation.

An overt participant observation role in which the researcher systematically observes a group but is not a group member and only interacts indirectly with the group.

A quasi-experimental design lacking a control group, in which one group is examined following a treatment.

A question prompting any response deemed appropriate in the participant’s own words.

The process whereby a concept or construct is defined so precisely that it can be measured.

Differences in the dependent variable that result from the order in which the independent variable is presented.

A level of measurement used to order cases along some dimension of interest.

The tendency to assume the existence of a general pattern based on a limited number of observed cases.

Research on the same unit of analysis carried out at multiple points in time.

A theoretical perspective including a set of assumptions about reality that guide research questions.

An overt participant-observation role in which the researcher systematically observes a group by becoming a group member to establish relationships and interact directly with the group.

A research method in which the researcher is actively involved with the group being observed over an extended period.

The tendency for research participants to act differently during a study simply because they are aware that they are participating in a research study.

Attempts made by a researcher to authenticate the research process and findings through an external review provided by an independent researcher.

Publications that contain articles written by different authors and are released at regular intervals.

The remnants, fragments, and products of past behaviour.

The total collection of all cases in which the researcher is interested and that [they wish] to understand better.

A worldview that upholds the importance of discovering truth through direct experience using empirical methods.

A worldview that rests on the assumption that reality is best understood in terms of the practical consequences of actions undertaken to solve problems.

The tendency to stop searching for necessary observations due to an erroneous belief that the answer has already been determined.

First-hand data collection and data analysis that is undertaken to answer an original research question.

Personal records that are usually directed at a small known target or are produced only for use by the originating author.

A method in which every individual or element in the population has a known chance of being selected.

Questions used to motivate an interviewee to continue speaking or to elaborate on a topic.

A systematic method for collecting and analyzing information used to answer questions about a program of interest.

Public records that are prepared specifically to be examined by others.

A non-probability method in which a researcher uses a combination of techniques to obtain all possible cases that possess the desired characteristics of the population of interest.

A technique used to understand the world from the subjects’ point of view, to unfold the meaning of their experiences, and to uncover the world prior to scientific explanations.

A technique that seeks to explore, interpret, explain, or evaluate a phenomenon of interest and produces non-numerical data.

A technique that seeks to describe, explain, or evaluate a phenomenon of interest and produces numerical data.

An experimental design that lacks one or more of the basic features of a true experiment, including random assignment or a control group.

A survey data collection instrument consisting of a series of questions or items to which a respondent provides responses containing the information of interest to the researcher.

A non-probability method used to obtain a similar proportion of some characteristic of interest in a sample as exists in the population.

A method for assigning cases in which chance alone determines receipt of the experimental manipulation.

A technique used to generate a random sample of phone numbers from a sampling frame created using the assigned area codes for a given location.

Measurement miscalculation due to unpredictable mistakes.

The percentage of those sampled for whom data are collected.

An interval level of measurement with an absolute zero.

A self-reflection process in which researchers consider the ways in which their own subjectivities may have influenced the research outcomes.

Differences produced by the tendency for extreme scores to become less extreme.

Consistency in measurement.

A sample with the same aggregate characteristics as the population from which it was selected.

The plan or blueprint for a study, outlining the who, what, where, when, why, and how of an investigation.

An array of considerations that arise in relation to the morally responsible treatment of humans in research.

A committee whose mandate is to review the ethical acceptability of research on behalf of the institution, including approving, rejecting, proposing modifications to, or terminating any proposed or ongoing research involving humans.

Techniques for carrying out research to answer questions of interest.

A comprehensive plan created in advance of carrying out research that details what the purpose of the project is and what the process will be for obtaining data.

A detailed account, following research, that describes the research interest, questions or hypotheses addressed, methods used, and findings from the study.

A value necessitating that research involving humans be conducted in a manner that is sensitive to the inherent worth of all human beings and the respect and consideration that they are due.

A moral principle stressing that researchers respect the human participants in their investigations as persons of worth whose participation is a matter of their autonomous choice.

A means for demonstrating integrity and competence in qualitative research.

A subset of the population of interest that comprises the unit of analysis in a study.

The technique or process used to acquire the unit of analysis from a population of interest.

The difference between the sample statistic and the population parameter.

The complete list of individuals or elements making up the population.

The fixed interval used to select every nth case listed after a random starting point is obtained.

A composite measure of a construct consisting of several different indicators that stem from a common cause.

Examination of data originally collected by someone other than the researcher for a different purpose.

The summation or analysis of research already collected by others.

Methods used to obtain groups that can result in differences prior to the experimental manipulation.

A combined effect of maturation and initial differences in the groups at the onset of the study.

A threat to external validity produced by the self-selection of participants susceptible to the independent variable.

A bias resulting from the greater likelihood of establishing certain physical traces over others.

The tendency to assume a general pattern exists based on factors other than objective frequency.

A bias resulting from the greater likelihood of certain physical traces persisting over time.

A somewhat flexible interview format in which main questions are prepared ahead of time but the questions can be modified or clarified based on participant feedback.

A probability-based method used to obtain individuals or cases that make up a sample, based on chance alone.

A case study strategy that focuses on only one person, organization, event, or program as the unit of analysis, as emphasized by the research objectives.

A non-probability method used to obtain a sample based on one available case, followed by associated referrals.

Personal information that is posted to public arenas using social media such as Facebook or Twitter.

A process in which people combine a set of principles, outlooks, and ideas with a collection of specific practices, techniques, and strategies to produce knowledge.

A question about the social world that is answered through the collection and analysis of first-hand, verifiable, empirical data.

Consistency between both halves of the measure for a variable of interest.

An individual, group, or organization that is directly or indirectly involved with or impacted by the program of interest.

A quasi-experimental design lacking random assignment in which two groups are compared following a treatment.

A consent process that takes place in stages following the establishment of relationships within a group.

A probability-based method used to obtain a sample, based on known population characteristics.

A quantitative approach in which behaviour is observed and coded using pre-determined categories.

An information collection method used to describe, compare, or explain individual and societal knowledge, feelings, values, preferences, and behaviours.

A highly structured data collection method consisting of a series of prescribed questions or items asked by an interviewer who records the answers provided by the respondent.

Miscalculation due to consistently inaccurate measures or intentional bias.

A probability-based method used to obtain a sample based on a fixed interval representing every nth case listed.

Summaries of main findings from quantitative research, such as the percentage of respondents who gave answers in each category of a variable on a questionnaire or the differences in means between groups on dependent measures.

Consistency between the same measures for a variable of interest taken at two different points in time.

Changes in the dependent measure that result from experience gained on the pre-test.

A perspective based on core assumptions.

A concept-driven method for obtaining data used in qualitative research.

A set of propositions intended to explain a fact or phenomenon.

Questions unrelated to the research topic that are used to take breaks in the conversation.

An observation-based data coding method in which variables are recorded at the end of each set time interval throughout a set observation period.

Research on different units of analysis carried out at multiple points in time.

A familiar compilation of beliefs and practices passed down from one generation to the next.

A data-entry process in which the obtained verbal information is transferred verbatim into text.

Statements that move the conversation into the essential questions.

The use of multiple methods or sources to help establish rigour.

The object of investigation.

Strategies in which the researcher examines evidence of people’s behaviour or attitudes rather than interacting directly with those being studied.

A highly flexible interview format based on questions that develop during the interaction as a result of participant feedback.

The extent to which a study examines what it intends to.

A categorical concept for properties of people or events that can differ and change.

An in-depth study of a group or culture that exists in an online environment.

Representations of culture as depicted in photographs and film documentaries.

A type of design in which the experimental group is exposed to all possible levels of the independent variable.