Survey Research Types of Surveys Surveys are classified according ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

$MATH 622 Selected Topics in Modern Algebra I$

$MATH 621 Selected Topics in Advanced Calculus II$

1) Planning: Survey research begins with a question that the researcher believes can be answered most appropriately by means of the survey method. The researcher needs to decide on the data-gathering technique that will be used. 2) Sampling: The researcher must make decisions about the sampling procedure that will be used and the size of the sample to survey. If one is to generalize the sample findings to the population, it is essential that the sample selected be representative of that population. 3) Constructing the instrument: A major task in survey research is the construction of the instrument that will be used to gather the data from the sample. 4) Conducting the survey: Once the data-gathering instrument is prepared, it must be field-tested to determine if it will be provide the desired data. Also included in this step would be training of the users of the instrument, interviewing subjects or distributing questionnaires to them, and verifying the accuracy of the data gathered. 5) Processing the data: The last step includes coding the data, statistical analysis, interpreting the results, and reporting the findings. Data Gathering Techniques There are two basic ways in which data are gathered in a survey research: interviews and questionnaires. Each of these has two options, thus providing four different approaches to collecting data: 1) Personal interview: the interviewer reads the questions to the respondent in a face-to-face setting and records the answers. Advantages of personal interviews: a. Flexibility: The interviewer has the opportunity to observe the subject and the total situation in which he or she is responding. Questions can be repeated or their meanings explained in case they are not understood by the respondent(s). The interview can also press for additional information when a response seems incomplete or not entirely relevant. b. Greater Response Rate: Response rate refers to the proportion of the selected sample that agrees to be interviewed or returns a completed questionnaire. Personal contact increases the likelihood that the individual will participate and will provide the desired information. Furthermore, the interviewer is able to obtain an answer to all or most of the questions. c. Interviewer Control of Question Order: The interviewer has control over the order with which questions are considered. In some cases, it is very important that respondents not know the nature of later questions because their responses to these questions might influence earlier responses. This problem is eliminated in an interview, where the subject does not know what questions are coming up and cannot go back and change answers previously given. For individuals who cannot read and understand a written questionnaire, interviews provide the only possible information-gathering technique. Disadvantages of personal interviews: a. Cost: Personal interviews are more costly than other survey methods. The selection and training of the interviewers and their travel to the interview site make the procedure costly. It Ma660 Survey Research Notes Page 2
takes a great deal of time to contact potential respondents, set up appointments, and actually conduct the interview. b. Possibility of Interviewer Bias: Interviewer bias occurs when the interviewer’s own feelings and attitudes or the interview’s gender, race, and other characteristics influence the way in which the questions are asked or interpreted. The interviewer may verbally or nonverbally encourage or reward “correct” responses that fit his or her expectations. c. Social Desirability Bias: Social desirability bias occurs when the respondents want to please the interviewer by giving socially acceptable responses that they would not necessarily give on an anonymous questionnaire. 2) Telephone interview: The telephone interview has become more popular and compares favorably with face-to-face interviewing. Advantages of telephone interviews: a. Lower Cost and Faster Completion with Relatively High Response Rates: Telephone interviews can be conducted over a relatively short time span with persons scattered over a large geographic area. The phone permits the survey to reach people who would not open their doors to an interviewer, but who would not open their doors to an interviewer, but who might be willing to talk on the telephone. b. Respondent Anonymity: Respondents have a greater feeling of anonymity—hence there may be less interviewer bias and less social desirability bias than is found with personal interviews. c. Computer Usage: Computers can be used in administering the interview and in coding the responses. Wearing earphones, the interviewer can sit at a computer while it randomly selects a telephone number and dials. When the respondent answers, the interviewer reads the questions that appear on screen and types the answers directly into the computer. This saves the researcher time usually spent in coding, getting the data organized, and entering it into the computer for analysis. Disadvantages of telephone interviews: a. Less Opportunity for Establishing Rapport with the Respondent: It takes a great deal of skill to carry out a telephone interview so that valid results are obtained. It is often difficult to overcome the suspicions of the surprised respondents, especially when personal or sensitive questions are asked. An advance letter that informs the potential respondents of the approaching call is sometimes used to deal with this problem, but the letter can induce another problem. The recipient has time to think about responses or to prepare a refusal to participate when the call comes. b. Survey Exclusion: Households without telephones and those with unlisted numbers are automatically excluded from the survey, which may bias results. There is, however, a technique known as random digit dialing that solves the problem of unlisted numbers (although it does not help to reach the households without a telephone). Ma660 Survey Research Notes Page 3
Page 1: Survey Research Types of Surveys Su
Page 5 and 6: Constructing the Instrument Types o
Page 7: 3) The Protection Provided the Resp

Survey Research Types of Surveys Surveys are classified according ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?