Research Methods - Social - Questionnares

Question 1

Questionnaire AO1

3

Answer 1

Respondents record their own answers
Questions are pre-determined (structured)
Provided in written form

Question 2

Questionnaire eval.

Answer 2

Pros
Can find out what ppl think and feel, cant do this in observation
Easily repeated and doesn’t take much time so can use large amounts of ppts. (all do it same time)
May feel more willing to reveal personal information in a questionnare than an interview as its more anonymous

Cons
Social desirability bias - Dont answer truthfully as it may present them in an unlikeable manner
Sample may be biased as often only literate ppl willing to spend the time to fill them in do so

Question 3

Closed question eval.

Answer 3

Pros
Quantitative data that can be easily summarised into charts or graphs - can compare one another easily
Objective, less room for interpretation

Cons
Data may be low in validity as Qs chosen by experimenter so ppts. cant fully express feelings
Oversimplifies human experience

Question 4

Open question eval.

Answer 4

Pros
Rich qualitative data increases validity as answers are explicitly what that person feels
Researchers may collect unexpected findings, this cant happen in closed Qs

Cons
More difficult to draw conclusions because wide range of answers, often have to be grouped
Interpreting what they mean is likely to be subjective