UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Discovery learning encourages learners to investigate examples,patterns or data and infer underlying rules or principles themselves. This process promotes deeper understanding and retention because students actively construct meaning. The stem’s emphasis on exploration leading to self-derived principles describes this approach accurately. Therefore,discovery is the appropriate completion.

Option A:
In discovery learning,the teacher provides resources and guidance but does not simply state the rule at the beginning; students are expected to “find out” through exploration,which aligns with the stem.

Option B:
Expository teaching is more direct and teacher-centred,where principles are presented explicitly and students mainly receive them.

Option C:
Rote learning highlights memorisation without understanding and does not involve exploring materials or relationships.

Option D:
Authoritarian approach stresses strict control and obedience,rather than student exploration and autonomy in learning.

Grounded theory research seeks to develop a substantive or formal theory that is grounded in, or emerges from, the data collected rather than being imposed a priori. Researchers collect and analyse data concurrently, using constant comparison to refine categories and their relationships. Sampling is often theoretical, with new participants chosen to elaborate or challenge emerging concepts. Thus, the qualitative approach described in the stem is known as grounded theory research.

Option A:
Phenomenological research focuses on understanding the essence of lived experiences from participants’ first-person perspectives and does not primarily aim to build theory in the systematic, category-based way that grounded theory does.

Option B:
Grounded theory emphasises iterative cycles of coding, memo writing and category development that lead to a theory closely tied to participants’ accounts. This inductive process of theory generation fits the description in the question, making this option correct.

Option C:
Ethnographic research concentrates on describing and interpreting cultural practices and shared meanings in a group through prolonged fieldwork. While some conceptual insights may emerge, the explicit goal is not always formal theory generation.

Option D:
Narrative research examines people’s stories and the way they construct meaning over time, focusing on plot, characters and narrative structure rather than on building a generalisable theory from coded data.

In the inductive approach,students first examine particular cases,examples or data and then infer a general rule or principle. This process helps them see how principles emerge from evidence and often increases retention. The stem describes exactly this movement from specific examples to general principles,so the approach is inductive.

Option A:
Deductive approach starts with general rules or principles and then applies them to specific cases,the opposite of what is described in the question.

Option B:
Inductive teaching supports active learning and inquiry,which aligns with the pattern outlined in the stem.

Option C:
Expository approach involves direct presentation of information by the teacher rather than students discovering principles themselves.

Option D:
Rote approach refers to memorisation without understanding and is not characterised by deriving principles from examples.