Chapter 8 - Surveys and questionnaires. After reading this chapter, you should be able to: Design a survey or questionnaire to answer a research question or test a hypothesis; select the survey format (self-report, faceto-face, phone, or online) that will best serve the purpose of the survey; select existing or develop appropriate questionnaire items and response sets;. | Surveys and questionnaires Chapter 8 Most commonly used quantitative method Used for obtaining information about what people do, and respondents’ attitudes or characteristics In experimental, quasi-experimental, and descriptive research designs What is a survey? System for collecting comparable information across many people Self-report Face-to-face Phone Online Mail Comparing survey types What is best method for reaching your population? What is the best way to collect data about your topic? Will type of survey influence your response rate? Designing a survey Develop the research design Evaluate existing questionnaires/surveys Recommended over creating your own Has undergone extensive testing and revision Minor changes are okay Substantial changes will require that you pretest or pilot test the questionnaire Writing your own questionnaire Start with literature review Designing survey items Straightforward One complete thought written in sentence or question format Respondent should . | Surveys and questionnaires Chapter 8 Most commonly used quantitative method Used for obtaining information about what people do, and respondents’ attitudes or characteristics In experimental, quasi-experimental, and descriptive research designs What is a survey? System for collecting comparable information across many people Self-report Face-to-face Phone Online Mail Comparing survey types What is best method for reaching your population? What is the best way to collect data about your topic? Will type of survey influence your response rate? Designing a survey Develop the research design Evaluate existing questionnaires/surveys Recommended over creating your own Has undergone extensive testing and revision Minor changes are okay Substantial changes will require that you pretest or pilot test the questionnaire Writing your own questionnaire Start with literature review Designing survey items Straightforward One complete thought written in sentence or question format Respondent should know how to answer Avoid abbreviations and slang expressions Shorter is better than longer What is a good survey item? Is the item straightforward? Does the item contain a complete thought? Does participant have choice in how to answer? Will the participant know how to answer? Will participants understand the terminology or abbreviations? Will participants understand the purpose of the item? Will participants have the information requested? Is the item written in such a way that participants will be willing to respond? Is the item too long? Closed questions Respondents given a question or statement and given a set of responses to select from All responses must be known in advance Creates easily comparable responses Use a recall cue or stimulus statement to draw participants’ attention to issue, topic, or timeframe Response sets for closed questions Nominal or categorical responses Exhaustive Mutually exclusive Equivalent Likert-type scales 5- or 7-point scale Includes middle or neutral
