When critiquing a descriptive study, which of the following is ...

[abarnes]

When critiquing a descriptive study, which of the following is important to find in the study report?
 
  a. A discussion of the variables of interest and how they were defined
  b. A well-written directional hypothesis that describes the proposed relationship between the variables under study
  c. Evidence of a random probability sample
  d. The use of constant comparative analysis for data interpretation

Question 2

In a critique of a case study design, one would need to pay particular attention to which of the following?
 
  a. How long ago it was conducted
  b. The number of subjects in the sample
  c. What the goal of the study was
  d. Whether it was quantitative or qualitative

[zhanghao]

Answer to Question 1

ANS: A
The reader would want to know what the variables were and how they were defined conceptually and operationally by the researcher.
Causal, relationship or predictive studies require a directional hypothesis that accurately describes the relationship between the variables being studied.
Descriptive studies do not require a random probability sample.
Constant comparative analysis is a data interpretation technique that is used in grounded theory, a qualitative research method.

Answer to Question 2

ANS: C
It would be very important to identify the goal of the research. Then the reader must decide if a case-study approach was the best choice for that purpose.
A great many case studies were conducted in the past, fewer in more recent years. This would not really be of any particular importance in critiquing the study, however.
This number of subjects is going to be small in a case study, so this does not warrant any particular attention.
Case studies may often include a bit of both methods, so this would not be particularly pertinent.