Questionnaires

Question 1

Questionnaires?

Answer 1

A self-report method of gathering data
May be conducted face- to- face or over the phone etc

Question 2

Open questions?

Answer 2

Does not have a fixed range of answers and PPTS are free to respond however they like

Question 3

Why are open questions useful?

Answer 3

Produce qualitative data that contains a wide range of different responses
Researcher obtains in-depth detail about the topic being investigated

Question 4

Limitations of open questions?

Answer 4

May lead to subjectivity as the researcher is using their own interpretation of what the participant has written
May be difficult to analyse all the qualitative data

Question 5

How may the validity of the data be affected in question as?

Answer 5

May be affected by the wording of the questions- important the questions are clear, answerable and not leading therefore data is not invalidating

Question 6

Benefits of closed questions?

Answer 6

Normally produces quantitative data which is usually easy to analyse but it lacks the depth and detail that you get with open questions
There is no subjectivity involved in interpreting the data

Question 7

Why is a pilot study carried out?

Answer 7

The questionnaire is given to a small group of people before the actual study

Question 8

Strength of questionnaires?

Answer 8

They can be give out to large groups of people very easily- increases the generalisability of the findings

Question 9

Weakness of questionnaires?

Answer 9

PPTS may give the socially desirable response they think the researcher is looking for- decreases the validity of the data being collected

Question 10

Strengths of questionnaires: when can the questionnaire be completed?

Answer 10

Without the researcher being present- reduces the effort involved

Question 11

Strengths of interviews: analysis?

Answer 11

Data lends itself to statistical analysis and comparisons between groups of people can be made using graphs and charts

Question 12

Limitations of questionnaires: truthful?

Answer 12

The responses given may not be truthful
Respondents may be keen to present themselves in a positive way

Question 13

Limitations of questionnaires: response bias?

Answer 13

Questionnaires produce response bias- respondents respond i a similar way e.g. always ticking yes
PPTS may answer the questionnaire too quickly and fail to read the questions properly

Question 14

What is acquiescence bias?

Answer 14

The tendency to agree with items on a questionnaire regardless of the content of the question