questionnaires Flashcards
what is a questionnaire ?
questionnaires are defined by the fact that they involve answering pre-set questions - open/ closed ended in some sort of documented form.
what ways of questionnaires are there
online
post
phone
questionnaire questions are simple and the instructions are clear
why’s this necessary ?
so people are more likely to participate and understand the question they’re being asked
why’s this necessary ?
the shorter the better so people keep focused and honest.
to get a higher response rate meaning its practical as it takes less time.
why’s this necessary ?
simplest and shortest qs first
keep people interested and wanting to continue which leads to more quantitive data- interpretavists love
why’s this necessary ?
just enough alternative answers
some answers may not use be yes no. there may be opinion based questions, still quick/ able to find trends
why’s this necessary ?
confidential answers
more likelihood of being honest, stops biases.
why’s this necessary ?
asking neutral questions- avoid leading qs
lets people think for themselves. it also means valid data, because its their own thoughts
e.g sociology is the best subject.
why’s this necessary ?
normal untechnical language
it makes it easy to read/ comprehend if someones first lang isn’t English.
e.g simple words
why’s this necessary ?
only ask questions that are likely to be answered accurately.
to avoid lying, which could lead to inaccurate results.
why’s this necessary ?
questions should not be misinterpreted, they should mean the same to all respondents e.g. do you watch a lot of TV
if questions were not interpreted correctly this would lead there to be no trends.
why’s this necessary ?
offensive questions should be avoided.
if people are offended they won’t finish the survey this could also be unethical
e.g have you ever thought of killing your child.
what did Bowles and gintis study
Bowles and giants measured students personality traits, through a questionnaire, they then compared this with students average school grades and averages. they found correlations between traits such as politeness, that employers valued and high school grades. these traits were more commonly seen in u/c and m/c
what did irreson and Hallam study ?
they studied the impact of sets in schools. they researched around 6000 students, their experiences of being in a set and how it made them feel about education. lower sets= less positive about school.
what did Lacey study ?
used questionnaires to study anti and pro school subcultures.
what did Wilkinson study ?
study into the ‘gender quake’ how people’s views on girls/ women have changed over Time.
what are the strengths of questionnaires ?
PRACTICAL; quick and cheap, large quantities of data, cover a large area,
RELIABLE; the same questions in the same order.
allows the researcher to test hypothesis, about cause and effect and look for correlations.
few ethical issues
representative- tends to be large scale.
unbiased- detached and objective.
what are the weaknesses of questionnaires ?
PRACTICAL: an take a longtime. not sure if they have received the questionnaire collecting by hand= expensive.
INVALID; just a snapshot, too detached. right- answer-ism.
the imposition problem- impose the researchers frame work of ideas the respondents through the choice of questions.
low response rates leads to unrepresentative sample.
