Final answer:
In Dr. Whitney's qualitative study on college students' attitudes about race, the bad advice for ensuring research quality is to have the data analyzed quantitatively. Qualitative research emphasizes depth, context, and subjective understanding, which are not captured by quantitative methods. Good practices include multiple coders, peer review of design, and clear category definitions.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student has inquired about quality assurance methods in qualitative research conducted by Dr. Whitney on college students' attitudes about race. Among the suggested options, the bad advice is to have another researcher analyze the data quantitatively. This is because qualitative research deals with subjective viewpoints, thematic structures, and meanings behind the data, which are not readily translated into numbers or statistical analysis. Instead, an in-depth examination of consistency, clarity of categories, and having multiple coders can strengthen the validity of the qualitative analysis.
Having more than one person code or categorize the data is a way to improve inter-rater reliability. A colleague reviewing the study design for defensibility ensures that the research approach is well-thought-out and can withstand academic scrutiny. Consistency and clarity of coding categories can be assessed by having another researcher examine them. Assessing the research categories for their clear definition enhances the study's replicability and understanding. However, quantitative analysis would not serve the purpose of ensuring the quality of qualitative research, as it would shift the focus from understanding the depth and context of attitudes to measuring quantifiable aspects that might not represent the subject matter adequately.