Chapter 7 Survey Research Flashcards
Survey
designates a specific way of collecting data and identifies a broad research strategy
involves gathering info from individuals - called respondents, by having them respond to questions
survey research
involves asking questions of a sample of people, in a fairly short period of time, and then testing hypotheses or describing a situation based on their answers
measures what people say not what they do
questionnaire
contains recorded questions that people respond to directly on the questionnaire form itself, without the aid of an interviewer
interview
involves an interviewer reading questions to a respondent and then recording his or her answers
closed-ended questions
provide respondents with a fixed set of alternatives from which to choose
used to determine all the possible, theoretically relevant responses to a question in advance and the number of possible responses is limited
open-ended questions
require that the respondents write their own responses, much as for an essay-type examination question
Appropriate for an exploratory study with few restrictions on answers
pretests are often given in pretest and then changed to closed based on answers
wording of questions
Subject question wording to empirical test to avoid bias.
state questions in present tense
keep questions simple and direct, expressing only 1 idea and avoid complex statements
overestimate the reading ability of the average respondent to make it clear
avoid referring to things that we cannot clearly define or that depend on the respondent’s interpretation
never use slang
structure and design of a questionnaire
precise directions
properly ordering of questions - Early questions should not bias later ones and Increase interest in completing instrument
question format - use box rather than a blank line, filter questions, contingency questions, matrix questions
response rate -
filter question
one whose answer determines which question the respondent goes to next
contingency question
responding is contingent upon response to filter question
matrix question
lists the response alternatives only once; a box to check, or a number to circle, follows each question or statement (usually presented in a table format)
response rate
the proportion of a sample that completes and returns a questionnaire or agrees to an interview
Non-respondents may differ in significant ways from responders.
Data from obtained sample may no longer be representative of the population.
cover letter
accompanies a questionnaire and serves to introduce and explain it to the recipient
includes: Sponsor Address/phone/email to contact researcher How respondent was selected Who is the study sample Purpose of research Who will benefit Appeal for cooperation Completion time Payment Anonymity/confidentiality Deadline
incentives and follow-ups
Payment increases response rate.
Stamped self-addressed envelope increases response rate.
Two follow-ups can generate 15-20% increase in response rate
Step 1: Reminder letter
Step 2: Letter plus additional questionnaire form.
length and other influences
As length increases response rate declines
Avoid crammed appearance
Use boxed response choices and smooth transitions
Voice and manner in interviews
Reminders of confidentiality
Special populations
checking for non-response bias
Compare characteristics of sample obtained to known characteristics of the population.
Check databases of target population.
Cannot prove lack of bias due to non-response
advantages of questionnaire
Faster and cheaper than interviews
Able to reach geographically dispersed sample
Effective with sensitive topics
Eliminates problem of interviewer bias
disadvantages to questionnaire
Require some literacy
Written instructions
Can’t probe
Can’t control who completes it
Responses not independent
High response bias
Structure of interviews
Un-standardized:
Interviewer develops own questions and probes as interview progresses
Nonschedule-standardized:
More narrow topic
Specific questions asked of all respondents
Interviewer free to probe and rephrase
Schedule-standardized:
Specific instructions for interviewer
Specific questions in fixed order and transition phrases for interviewer.
interview schedule
contains specific instructions for the interviewer, specific questions to be asked in a fixed order, and transition phrases for the interviewer to use
contacting respondents
Increase refusals:
Phone to request interview
Send letter to request appointment
Reduce refusals:
Blanket area with information
Timing of contact
Communicate time required
conducting an interview
The interview as a social relationship to exchange info
Secondary relationship - interviewer has a goal
Start with simple questions
Presence of third parties
Probes
Recording responses
Classifying responses into predetermined categories
Summarizing the “high points” of what is said
Taking verbatim notes
Making an audio or video recording of the interview
Controlling interviewers and interviewer falsification
probes
follow-up questions intended to elicit clearer and more complete responses
interviewer falsification
intentional departure from the designed interviewer instructions, unreported by the interviewer, which can result in the contamination of data
diversity and the interview relationship
Interview is a social relationship
Social desirability effect impacted by gender, race, culture.
Social distance between interviewer and respondent
Cross-race interviewing studies show large effects.
Gender impacts on interviews
Matching for race, ethnicity and gender is common
Language of interview has impact.
advantages of interviews
can help motivate respondents to give more accurate and complete info
offers an opportunity to explain questions that respondents may not have understood
presence of interviewer allows control over factors that are uncontrollable with mailed questionnaires
interviewing is a more flexible form of data collection than questionnaires
interviewer can add observational info to the responses
disadvantages of interviews
cost - researchers need to hire, train and equip interviewers
time- traveling to the home requires time and limits to a few interviews a day
interviewer bias
possibility of significant but unnoticed variation in wording either from one interview to next or from different interviewers
telephone surveys
Lower cost Speed project completion Reduced response bias Foreign language friendly Limited duration Restricted to voice only communication Non-coverage Computer assisted Telephone interviewing (CATI)
computer-assisted interviewing (CAI)
using computer technology to assist in designing and conducting questionnaires and interviews
computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI)
where an interview is conducted over the telephone, in CATI, the interviewer reads questions from a computer instead of clipboard and records directly in computer
online surveys
Sent via e-mail or completed at web site Inexpensive Rapid response Supplemental materials: graphics, images, audio. Anonymity Non-representative samples Refusal rate Compatible formatting across computers
focus group (group depth interview)
an interview with a whole group of people at the same time.
a flexible strategy for gathering data
Led by one or more moderators direct the discussion by following an outline of the main topics of inquiry.
Data formats:
Raw data format
Descriptive approach
Interpretive model
advantages to focus group
More flexible,
less-expensive
faster than individual interviews
disadvantages to focus group
Less generalizable
Difficult to analyze
Qualitative rather than quantitative data
