Closed Questionnaires - PERVERT Flashcards
Practical factors
Strengths: Closed questionnaires are relatively easy to administer and analyze, making them a practical choice for large-scale data collection.
Weaknesses: However, designing and distributing closed questionnaires may require careful attention to question wording, response options, and sampling techniques to ensure representativeness and minimize bias.
Ethical factors
Strengths: Closed questionnaires offer participants anonymity and confidentiality, reducing concerns about privacy and social desirability bias.
Weaknesses: Nonetheless, researchers must still ensure informed consent and provide clear instructions to participants, particularly when sensitive or personal information is being collected.
Reliability
Strengths: Closed questionnaires can yield reliable data, as they use standardized questions and response formats that minimize variability in responses.
Weaknesses: However, reliability may be affected by factors such as question wording, response options, and respondent characteristics, as well as nonresponse bias.
Validity
Strengths: Closed questionnaires can demonstrate high content validity, as researchers can design questions to directly address the research objectives and capture specific variables or constructs.
Weaknesses: Yet, closed questionnaires may be limited in assessing complex or nuanced topics, as they rely on predetermined response options and may not allow for in-depth exploration of participants’ perspectives.
Examples
Strengths: Closed questionnaires are commonly used in survey research across various disciplines, including sociology, psychology, and public health. For example, national surveys often employ closed questionnaire techniques to gather data on demographic characteristics, health behaviours, and social attitudes.
Weaknesses: However, closed questionnaires may not capture the richness and complexity of human experiences or allow for the exploration of unexpected themes or patterns that may emerge in qualitative research.
Representativeness
Strengths: Closed questionnaires can enhance the representativeness of findings by using standardized questions and sampling techniques to ensure diverse participation and minimize selection bias.
Weaknesses: Nonetheless, the representativeness of closed questionnaires may be limited by factors such as response rates, sample characteristics, and the extent to which respondents’ views reflect those of the broader population.
Theoretical factors
Strengths: Closed questionnaires can contribute to theoretical development by providing systematic data on specific variables or constructs, allowing researchers to test hypotheses and refine theoretical models.
Weaknesses: However, closed questionnaires may prioritize quantitative data collection over qualitative insights, potentially overlooking contextual factors or individual experiences that are crucial for theory building.
