Questionnaires

Question 1

what are the 2 types of questions used in questionnaires?

Answer 1

• closed ended

- open ended

Question 2

what are closed ended questions?

Answer 2

• p’s choose from a limited range of answers

- e.g yes or no

Question 3

what are open ended questions?

Answer 3

• p’s answer in their own words

- no pre - selected answers

Question 4

what are practical issues of questionnaires?

Answer 4

• quick and cheap
• limited data
• Large scale

Question 5

what are theoretical issues with questionnaires?

Answer 5

• high reliability
• low validity
• hypothesis testing
• representative
• objective

Question 6

how are questionnaires quick and cheap?

Answer 6

• don’t have to train researchers

- don’t have to set up a lab you can just post them or do a computer questionnaire

Question 7

how can can questionnaires only get limited data?

Answer 7

• questions are quite vague
• can’t ask follow up questions
• p’s are less likely to do a long time consuming questionnaire

Question 8

How are questionnaires beneficial for hypothesis testing?

Answer 8

• quantitative
• can show a correlation
• we can then construct a hypothesis from correlation
• this can then be retested with questionnaires

Question 9

How are questionnaires reliable?

Answer 9

• can re use same questionnaire
• easy to repeat
• can easily compare original and sending it out again
• can state differences in p’s answer is general change in attitudes

Question 10

How are questionnaires large scale?

Answer 10

• can be distributed quickly
• can be sent cheaply by post or email
• more representative of wider population

Question 11

How is objective and detachment a good thing (positivists)?

Answer 11

• subjective feelings kept out of it
• research has minimal involvement with p
• detached from research

Question 12

How have questionnaires got low validity?

Answer 12

• p’s can lie on questionnaire
• no proof the person intended was the one who filled it out
• depends on willingness of p to give accurate answers
• might give socially desirable answers

Question 13

How is objective and detachment a bad thing (interpretivists)?

Answer 13

• fails to show p’s meanings
• we need to get a subjective view of p’s opinions
• p’s can’t ask to clarify questions
• may interpret questions differently