UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Ethnography involves prolonged engagement with a cultural or social group, often through participant observation and in-depth interviews. The researcher seeks to understand shared meanings, rituals and patterns of interaction from an insider’s perspective. Thick description of the culture is a hallmark of ethnographic work. Therefore, the immersion-based strategy described in the stem is known as ethnography.

Option A:
Grounded theory aims to generate theory from data through constant comparison and theoretical sampling. While it may involve fieldwork, its primary goal is theory construction rather than rich cultural description. Hence, it is not the correct term here.

Option B:
Option B, ethnography, focuses on culture, social practices and collective meanings. The researcher often lives or spends extensive time in the setting to capture natural behaviour. Because the stem emphasises immersion and shared patterns of behaviour, this option is correct.

Option C:
Narrative inquiry concentrates on people’s stories and how they make sense of experiences through narrative form. It does not require long-term immersion in a culture, so it does not match the description.

Option D:
A case study examines a bounded system such as an organisation or programme in depth. While it may overlap with ethnography, it is not defined primarily by cultural immersion and study of shared patterns, so it is not the best completion.

Phenomenology is a qualitative research approach that aims to understand and describe how individuals experience a particular phenomenon from their own perspective. It focuses on the meanings, feelings and structures of consciousness associated with those experiences. Researchers often conduct in-depth interviews and then analyse the transcripts to identify common themes that constitute the “essence” of the phenomenon. Because the stem refers to describing the essence of lived experiences, it clearly points to phenomenology.

Option A:
Ethnography involves prolonged engagement in a cultural or social setting to understand norms, values and practices of a group. While it also uses qualitative data, its emphasis is on culture rather than on the essence of individuals’ experiences of a specific phenomenon. Therefore, ethnography is not the correct answer here.

Option B:
Phenomenology requires researchers to bracket or set aside their own assumptions as far as possible so that participants’ descriptions can be examined in a fresh way. The analysis aims to distil invariant structures that characterise the phenomenon across different individuals. This detailed focus on lived experience aligns precisely with the description in the stem, confirming phenomenology as the right completion.

Option C:
Grounded theory, although qualitative, seeks to generate a theory that explains processes or interactions and is less focused on describing the essence of experience. Its primary goal is explanatory theory rather than phenomenological description. Hence, grounded theory does not fit the stem.

Option D:
Case study research examines a bounded case or cases in depth, integrating various sources of data such as documents, interviews and observations. It may use phenomenological insights but is defined by its focus on the case unit rather than the essential structure of a phenomenon across individuals. Consequently, case study is not the best option here.

A focus group discussion brings together a small group of participants who share some relevant characteristics and engages them in a moderated conversation about a specific topic. The interaction among participants often stimulates insights that might not emerge in individual interviews. The moderator uses a guide to keep the discussion focused while allowing spontaneous contributions. Thus, the guided group discussion described in the stem is properly called a focus group discussion.

Option A:
A case study is an in-depth investigation of a single case such as an individual, organisation or programme, often using multiple data sources. While it might include group discussions, it is not defined solely by a moderated small-group conversation. Therefore, case study is not the precise term here.

Option B:
Depth interviews are intensive one-to-one interviews that explore the participant’s perspectives in great detail without group interaction. They lack the group dynamics and collective exploration that characterise focus groups. Hence, depth interview is not the correct completion.

Option C:
In a focus group discussion, the moderator encourages participants to respond not only to questions but also to each other, revealing consensus, disagreement or shared experiences. This collective exploration is exactly what the stem highlights.

Option D:
The Delphi technique is a structured method for gathering expert judgments through multiple rounds of questionnaires with controlled feedback, typically without face-to-face group discussion. It differs fundamentally from the moderated group interaction described and so is not appropriate here.

The case study method involves intensive, holistic examination of a single case such as a person, class, school or programme. Data are collected from multiple sources, including documents, observations and interviews, to build a rich, contextualised picture. This method is especially useful when the researcher seeks to understand complex processes and unique features rather than to generalise statistically. Therefore, the in-depth investigation described in the stem is correctly termed a case study.

Option A:
Survey methods collect data from many respondents, usually at one point in time, to describe patterns or relationships, not to examine one case in depth. They lack the detailed, contextual focus highlighted in the stem.

Option B:
Experimental methods manipulate variables and use control groups to test hypotheses, which typically involve more than one case and aim at causal generalisation rather than detailed description of a single unit. Thus, they do not fit the stem.

Option C:
A case study uses triangulation of multiple data sources and perspectives to build an in-depth narrative or analysis of the case. It often reveals insights about processes, meanings and interactions that might be missed in broader surveys. These features correspond exactly to the description given, making this option correct.

Option D:
Correlational methods focus on measuring the strength and direction of relationships between variables across many cases and do not centre on intensive study of a single individual or institution.

Statements A, B, C and D accurately distinguish between positivist and interpretivist paradigms. Positivism stresses objective measurement and is often linked with experiments and surveys, while interpretivism focuses on meanings and experiences using methods like observation and interviews. Statement E is false because interpretivism rejects the notion of a single fixed reality independent of the researcher; it emphasises multiple, constructed realities. Therefore, the correct combination includes A, B, C and D and excludes E.

Option A:
Option A is incomplete because it omits D, thereby failing to mention the qualitative methods commonly used in interpretivist research. Without D, the methodological side of interpretivism is underrepresented.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because it adds E, which contradicts interpretivist assumptions about multiple realities and researcher involvement. Including E mischaracterises interpretivism as having a strictly objectivist stance.

Option C:
Option C is wrong because it includes only B, C and D, omitting A and thus not stating clearly that positivism emphasises objective measurement and quantification. This weakens the contrast between the two paradigms.

Option D:
Option D is correct because it compiles all statements that properly describe the two paradigms and leaves out E, which misstates interpretivist ontology. It reflects both the epistemological and methodological distinctions between positivist and interpretivist approaches.

Phenomenological research aims to describe and interpret how individuals experience a phenomenon in their everyday lives. It focuses on the meanings that participants attach to their experiences and tries to reveal the essence that is common across cases. Data are typically collected through in-depth, open-ended interviews. Therefore, the approach described in the stem is accurately termed phenomenological research.

Option A:
A case study examines a particular case in depth, considering many contextual factors, but it is not necessarily focused on extracting the essence of lived experience across several individuals. Its emphasis is more on the bounded case than on phenomenological essence. So it is not the best answer.

Option B:
Narrative research explores people’s stories and how they construct meaning over time, often focusing on chronology and plot. While it deals with experience, it emphasises narrative structure rather than the phenomenological essence. Thus, it does not match the stem exactly.

Option C:
Option C, phenomenological research, uses bracketing and reflective analysis to uncover the core themes that define a shared experience. It seeks rich descriptions of consciousness and perception. This fits the question’s focus on the essence of lived experiences, making it correct.

Option D:
Ethnographic research studies cultural groups and shared practices over time through immersion and observation. It looks at collective culture rather than individual lived experience of a specific phenomenon, so it is not the correct term here.

A case study is a detailed examination of a bounded unit such as a person, group, institution, programme or event over a period of time. It uses multiple sources like interviews, observations, documents and records to build a rich picture of the case. The emphasis is on depth of understanding in context rather than broad generalisation. Because the stem refers to intensive investigation of a single entity using multiple sources, case study is the correct term.

Option A:
Case studies allow the researcher to explore complex relationships and processes that might be missed in large-scale surveys or experiments. They are particularly useful when the phenomenon is unique, poorly understood or context-dependent. This focus on an in-depth exploration of a single case matches the description in the question, confirming case study as the appropriate answer.

Option B:
A survey typically collects data from a larger sample of individuals using questionnaires or interviews to describe trends or attitudes at a population level. It does not usually focus intensively on a single individual or institution. Hence, survey is not the correct completion here.

Option C:
An experiment manipulates independent variables and uses control groups to test causal effects under controlled conditions. Although experiments can be conducted on small samples, their purpose is not the holistic examination of a single bounded case through multiple evidence sources. Therefore, experiment does not fit the stem.

Option D:
Meta-analysis is a statistical technique that synthesises the results of multiple independent studies on a similar topic to produce overall effect estimates. It operates across many studies rather than concentrating on a single individual or institution. Thus, meta-analysis is not the right answer for this question.