Chapter 3

Question 1

Quantitative Research

Answer 1

• Rooted in positivism & objectivism, & concerned with reliability & validity
• Focuses on generating numerical data & statistics
• Typically forms the basis of health policy

Question 2

Randomized Control Trials

Answer 2

Usually involve experiments to test the efficacy of drugs or medical or supportive interventions by comparing use vs. non-use between two groups

Question 3

Evidence- Based Medicine

Answer 3

Drawn from positivist research (such as RCTs) & clinical expertise that is useful & rigorous

Question 4

Epidemiology & Public Health

Answer 4

The statistical study of patterns of disease in the population & specific risk factors, which can contribute to specific prevention programs

Question 5

Qualitative Research

Answer 5

• Rooted in interpretivism & places value on subjective views of individuals
• Focused on exploring the meanings & interpretations of health-related issues
• Adds to statistics on health & illness by offering understanding & explanations that go beyond incidence of various conditions
• Can provide insight into ‘what is like’ to be ill

Question 6

Autoethnography

Answer 6

Allows individuals to reflect on their own experiences by examining them within socio-cultural context

Question 7

Participatory Action Research & Community-Based Participatory Research

Answer 7

Seeks to engage participants or communities in the research process & have them shape the direction of the research

Question 8

Patient-Oriented Research

Answer 8

Engages those with lived experience on the research team, along with researchers, health care providers & decision makers

Question 9

Positivist Research Methods

Answer 9

Research methods that attempt to study people in the same way that physical scientists study the natural world. By focusing on quantifiable and directly observable events

Question 10

purposive sampling

Answer 10

Refers to the selection of units of analysis to ensure that the processes involved are adequately studied and where statistical representativeness is not required

Question 11

Intersectionality

Answer 11

A term coined to examine how race and sex/gender were mutually constituted for African-American women. The idea that one needs to examine how various biological cultural and social categories interact on multiple levels that lead to oppression and inequality

Question 12

Grounded theory

Answer 12

Usually associated with qualitative methods, it refers to any social theory that is derived from empirical research of social phenomena

Question 13

Critical Race Theory

Answer 13

A theoretical framework that posits racialization as a key structuring mechanism in society. Focuses on how socially constructed racial and ethnic categories are used to order groups in a way that disenfranchises and oppresses people. Goal is to not only understand inequities but to develop strategies to eliminate them

Question 14

Ethnography

Answer 14

A research method that is based on direct observation of a particular social group’s social life and culture- of what people actually do