Research Method: Questionnaires Flashcards
What is a questionnaire?
Respondents record their own answers that are provided in the written form of questions.
What are 2 strengths of questionnaires?
+Standardised procedure
= Easily repeatable and given to large numbers of people.
+Find out what people think and feel as opposed to other methods like interviews.
What are 2 weaknesses of questionnaires?
-Lack validity as people may not tell the truth (demand characteristics)
Eg: they may not know how to answer or not look foolish (social desirability bias)
-May only attract a certain sample
People who cannot read will not be able to complete questionnaires.
What is a closed question?
A question with a fixed answer that provides quantitative data.
What is an open question?
An question that allows respondents to provide their own answer and provides qualitative data.
What is a ranked scale?
A closed question that asks respondents to rank their views on a scale.
Eg: 1 to 5
What are 2 strengths of closed questions?
+Quantitative data is easy to analyse making it easier to draw conclusions.
+Answers are objective as they are likely to be interpreted the same by different researchers.
What are 2 weaknesses of closed questions?
-People may not be able to explain their precise feelings decreasing the validity.
-Reductionist: oversimplifies human experience and the several answers a respondent might give.
What are 2 strengths of open questions?
+Rich detail on behaviour as participants can express themselves increasing validity.
+Researcher may collect unexpected findings, decrease the effect of researcher bias.
What are 2 weaknesses of open questions?
-Difficult to draw conclusions with a wide range of answers.
-Interpreting data is subjective: each researcher may view the data differently.
What are 2 strengths of ranked scale questions?
+Objective
+Quantitative data that be analyse and presented easily.
What are 2 weaknesses of ranked scale questions?
-Participants may respond in the same way to all questions. Eg: a tendency to select high values.
-Social disability bias: affect validity.
What is social desirability bias?
When participants may give untrue responses so they don’t look foolish and make themselves look better.